Some FAQ’s from Lothian Buses.
Source: https://www.lothianbuses.com/news/2020/03/coronavirus-covid-19/

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Advice and FAQs for our customers

March 16, 2020

Page last updated: 20/03/20

The safety of our colleagues and customers is our main priority.

We understand that there are a lot of concerns at this time and there is a great amount of uncertainty.

We wanted to reassure you all that we have been working closely with industry bodies and are continually following and monitoring the latest advice and guidance from the Scottish Government and public health authorities regarding coronavirus.

Our services are continuing to run to their normal timetables across Edinburgh and the Lothians however we will be introducing a reduction in service provision from Monday 24th March. Please see here for further information.

Our drivers and support teams are continuing to deliver a fantastic service, ensuring that Lothian can continue to meet the travel needs of our customers.

All of our vehicles are cleaned externally and internally on a daily basis, and we have introduced heightened cleaning measures in response to this situation including more enhanced cleaning of the main customer touch-points such as hand poles and grab rails and our driver cab area’s.

In line with the Scottish Government and public health advice we have issued reminders to our teams about hygiene and the importance of hand washing across all of our sites. We have also published this guidance on our internal bus screens and will shortly be introducing this key messaging across bus bills on-board all of our fleet.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers for their cooperation and understanding during this uncertain time.

Below we have provided answers to some of the most common questions we are receiving from our customers.

For more information on Coronavirus, visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can I continue to travel on Lothian’s services?

Yes. Our services are continuing to run on their planned routes and timetables however we will be introducing a reduction in service from Monday 23rd March. More information will be available in the afternoon of Friday 20th March.

2. Are there any extra measures I should take whilst travelling?

As advised by the NHS, everyone should follow simple steps to help stop viruses spreading:

• Wash your hands (for 20 seconds) with hot water and soap or hand sanitiser when you arrive home/at work.
• Use a tissue for coughs/sneezes and bin tissues after use. Catch it, bin it, kill it.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell

3. Are you carrying out additional cleaning on your services?

All of our vehicles are cleaned externally and internally on a daily basis, however in response to this situation we have introduced enhanced cleaning measures including more enhanced cleaning of the main customer touch-points such as hand poles and grab rails and in our driver’s cabs.

Cleaning across all of our sites has also increased. We have issued detailed reminders to colleagues and provided additional cleaning materials where possible.

4. Will you be providing hand sanitisers on your services?

We have introduced additional cleaning across our fleet including main customer touch points and are sharing hygiene reminders from Scottish Government and health authorities across all of our social platforms. We are not currently looking to roll out hand sanitisers on our services.

5. How are you protecting your staff, such as drivers?

The safety of our colleagues and customers is our number one priority. We have implemented robust protocols to help stop the spread of the virus.

We continue to remind all of our colleagues of the importance of hygiene good practice and, working with key suppliers, we are introducing cleaning materials across all of our sites. In addition, as with the main customer touchpoint areas, we are also increasing the frequency of cleaning within driver cabs and other areas our staff come into greater contact with.

6. How do I get a refund if I need to stay at home (self-isolate) or work remotely?

Normal ticket conditions apply.

We are facing testing times as a business and are doing everything we can to keep connectivity of critical services running through the vast majority of our network. If you wish to cancel your direct debit Ridacard, please send your card to Lothian Buses, 55 Annandale Street, Edinburgh, EH7 4AZ.

7. What contingency measures do you have in place if this continues?

Our team are closely monitoring the current situation and taking advice from Scottish Government and industry bodies including the Confederation of Public Transport. Our priority is to protect the safety of our customers and our colleagues. In addition, we will continue to liaise closely with Scottish Government and public health authorities on any further steps we are required to take.