First Manchester

[Mrboo]

RE: First Manchester
Following recent guidance from the Government I want to update you on what we’re doing to keep our services running for essential travel and key workers. I also want to share the changes we’re making to keep customers and colleagues safe whilst on board, and the steps you can take to help everyone travel safely.

Keeping Everyone Safe
First Bus has responded to government advice to enable social distancing on public transport and with immediate effect you’ll start to notice additional steps being taken to ensure a safe journey for everyone.

Our buses will be operating at a reduced capacity with around 1 in 4 seats being available. The Government has advised that people only make essential journeys and where possible travel off peak to avoid busy times, but you still may see ‘Bus Full’ signs as some services reach their revised capacity more quickly.

Occasionally a bus may not stop, most likely as it has reached its reduced seating capacity. If the bus does stop, but is near capacity, the driver will only allow one person to board for every person that gets off, so you may need to allow extra time for your journey and be prepared to wait.

In addition, you will also see further measures in place to help enable you to comply with social distancing guidelines. These include:

New capacity signs by the entrance of each bus
Seat signs and stickers to clearly show where you should and shouldn't sit to maintain a safe distance
Reminders to be considerate of other passengers
No longer allowing standing

What can you do to stay safe?
You can help us by changing your behaviour in line with the reduced capacity. This might include:

Only travelling by bus if your journey is essential
Planning your travel in advance, avoiding peak periods
Wearing a face covering when on board
Sitting in a window seat, leaving an empty row of seats in front and behind
On our double deckers, consider sitting upstairs (if you are able)
Paying with contactless or purchasing your ticket in advance on our App
Using the correct change if you must pay by cash
No longer eating or drinking whilst on board
Leaving windows open to aid ventilation

Keeping you informed and updated
We are working hard to ensure that our website, social media feeds and colleagues are updated with the latest information, as quickly as possible.

Our telephone lines remain open if you do need to talk to us. Our operating hours are 9am-5pm Monday to Friday. Outside of these hours you can contact us via the contact form on our website. Our team will be monitoring Twitter at the weekends between 9am and 5pm and on weekdays between 7am and 7pm.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Stay safe,
Giles Fearnley
Managing Director, First Bus