Italy to ban getting on/off the bus at the front doors

[SouthEastBuses]

If you've been listening to the news about coronavirus recently, you will have noticed that Italy's, Europe's worst affected country, has passed a new law which states that when you catch a bus, you will no longer be able to board or alight using the front doors and you can't sit in the front seats.
Also you can't buy tickets on board the bus anymore.

Which would make sense as this would avoid the driver's risk being infected with the virus, but I was imagining, could something similar of that sort happen in the UK too when our coronavirus cases will be nearly as bad as Italy's cases?

Whilst in Italy it's not a problem because practically all of their buses are dual door, if this law was to be introduced in the UK, then outside of London, it would be a serious issue as practically every bus (with the except of some, like Brighton & Hove's 1/1A Streetdecks or Lothian Buses E400XLBs) is single doored with the door being at the front by passing the driver.

So, idk if it's a suitable topic or not, but I'd love to hear everybody's opinions to see if something similar to Italy could happen in the UK anytime soon.

 

[SouthEastBuses]

https://www.napolike.com/coronavirus-napoli-nuove-norme-anm
Here's some evidence, and probably the only piece of news in English that I was able to find so far.

 

[SouthEastBuses]

Example in Naples, Southern Italy:
"Since March 6 2020 and until further notice will be it is forbidden to get on the ANM bus and trolleybus from the front door. It will also be the sale of tickets on board the vehicles is prohibited."

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

If you've been listening to the news about coronavirus recently, you will have noticed that Italy's, Europe's worst affected country, has passed a new law which states that when you catch a bus, you will no longer be able to board or alight using the front doors and you can't sit in the front seats.
Also you can't buy tickets on board the bus anymore.
[snip]
Whilst in Italy it's not a problem because practically all of their buses are dual door, if this law was to be introduced in the UK, then outside of London, it would be a serious issue as practically every bus (with the except of some, like Brighton & Hove's 1/1A Streetdecks or Lothian Buses E400XLBs) is single doored with the door being at the front by passing the driver.

So, idk if it's a suitable topic or not, but I'd love to hear everybody's opinions to see if something similar to Italy could happen in the UK anytime soon.

I think you've answered your own question. The only way to do such a thing here would be to suspend the charging of any fares: it might be a contingency contained in government's emergency planning but I suspect we'd be more likely to simply suspend public transport operations altogether.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think you've answered your own question. The only way to do such a thing here would be to suspend the charging of any fares: it might be a contingency contained in government's emergency planning but I suspect we'd be more likely to simply suspend public transport operations altogether.

That is also my take on it. I suspect it may have been instituted because the drivers were going to strike had they not done it, not as a public health measure.

You can't pay on board on a lot of Italian buses anyway, if I recall correctly. London could potentially reverse the ban on rear boarding on Borismasters I suppose, as the rear door readers are still in place!

 

[Mikey C]

If things are so bad that drivers need to be protected from catching Coronavirus, fare protection will be a low priority...

 

[Bletchleyite]

If things are so bad that drivers need to be protected from catching Coronavirus, fare protection will be a low priority...

Public servants of all kinds are at highest risk. As I said, I suspect a strike may have been threatened.

 

[SouthEastBuses]

Completely suspending all bus services sounds the sensible option for the UK. No one apart from people who aren't feeling well or doctors assisting the unwell is going to be out anyway over the next few weeks, making bus services pointless for now.

 

[Geordie driver]

If things are so bad that drivers need to be protected from catching Coronavirus, fare protection will be a low priority...

Perhaps not in Italy.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Completely suspending all bus services sounds the sensible option for the UK. No one apart from people who aren't feeling well or doctors assisting the unwell is going to be out anyway over the next few weeks, making bus services pointless for now.

Are you living on a different planet to me? Commuting to London seems to have reduced (every day is a bit like Friday at the moment I believe) but we are nowhere near that yet.

Once we are there, I reckon 2 weeks to a month off, suspending all public transport (and possibly commandeering vehicles for emergency patient transport) is likely to be a sensible measure.

 

[cnjb8]

So you're immune from coronavirus by not sitting in empty front seats and sitting with everyone else at the back of the bus?

 

[Robertj21a]

Completely suspending all bus services sounds the sensible option for the UK. No one apart from people who aren't feeling well or doctors assisting the unwell is going to be out anyway over the next few weeks, making bus services pointless for now.

Total over reaction. No wonder people get into a panic when you get silliness like this.

 

[deanmachine]

Passenger loads certainly aren't down where I've been working today, in Sunderland, taking as much money as I normally do.

 

[Mikey C]

Public servants of all kinds are at highest risk. As I said, I suspect a strike may have been threatened.

Perhaps not in Italy.

I think you've rather missed my point. If a country has such a serious issue with Coronavirus that it needs to protect its drivers, clearly revenue protection becomes a completely minor issue. Nobody at the transport authority will be losing sleep over fare dodging...

 

[SouthEastBuses]

Total over reaction. No wonder people get into a panic when you get silliness like this.

I wasn't panicking at all to be fair. I just continued all my activities as normal without worrying about the virus, just maybe take some more precautionary measures like washing my hands more often etc. But once I heard about 6 deaths and 373 positive cases to coronavirus, I decided that at this point it's better to stay indoors and not go out until further notice. And practically everybody is going to do that eventually, which states my point as to why it's a very sensible idea to suspend all public transport soon. But, @
Bletchleyite, I think you do have a very good point there, we shouldn't yet suspend all bus services. I said that suspending all bus services would be the most sensible thing to do once the situation in the UK gets very bad. And with a lot of increasing cases, as I stated before, hardly anyone will be out over the next few days.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Passenger loads certainly aren't down where I've been working today, in Sunderland, taking as much money as I normally do.

It's the north. People just get on with things!

 

[Baxenden Bank]

I wasn't panicking at all to be fair. I just continued all my activities as normal without worrying about the virus, just maybe take some more precautionary measures like washing my hands more often etc. But once I heard about 6 deaths and 373 positive cases to coronavirus, I decided that at this point it's better to stay indoors and not go out until further notice. And practically everybody is going to do that eventually, which states my point as to why it's a very sensible idea to suspend all public transport soon. But, @
Bletchleyite, I think you do have a very good point there, we shouldn't yet suspend all bus services. I said that suspending all bus services would be the most sensible thing to do once the situation in the UK gets very bad. And with a lot of increasing cases, as I stated before, hardly anyone will be out over the next few days.

What!
Are you real?
It's flu, it's worse than the normal seasonal flu. If it becomes widespread, some people will not even know that they have had it. More will certainly know but it will be like the normal flu. A very small number will, sadly, die.
Read the proper advice on the NHS or .Gov websites.

How many people died in road accidents last week? Did you stay in because of that?
Ditto murders,
Ditto seasonal flu,
and so many other things.

 

[Pc86]

It’s not about the vast majority of people getting covid19, it’s about slowing down the spread of the disease so that the NHS is not swamped with very ill people all at once.

slowing down the spread will mean the nhs can cope better with what will still be a huge number of people needing help, but over a month or two rather than all in 1 week.

 

[infobleep]

Are you living on a different planet to me? Commuting to London seems to have reduced (every day is a bit like Friday at the moment I believe) but we are nowhere near that yet.

Once we are there, I reckon 2 weeks to a month off, suspending all public transport (and possibly commandeering vehicles for emergency patient transport) is likely to be a sensible measure.

Why isn't public transport suspended in Italy and if its not, why would we do this?

I was on the 18:24 form Clapham Junction to Haslemere tonight and it certainly didn't seem less crowded.

I was on the X26 bus this morning and it didn't seem less busy. Nor did the K3 yesterday morning.

 

[Bletchleyite]

And with a lot of increasing cases, as I stated before, hardly anyone will be out over the next few days.

I don't believe that is true at all. Likely we will end up there, but not over the next few days, more the next few weeks.

 

[infobleep]

I wasn't panicking at all to be fair. I just continued all my activities as normal without worrying about the virus, just maybe take some more precautionary measures like washing my hands more often etc. But once I heard about 6 deaths and 373 positive cases to coronavirus, I decided that at this point it's better to stay indoors and not go out until further notice. And practically everybody is going to do that eventually, which states my point as to why it's a very sensible idea to suspend all public transport soon. But, @
Bletchleyite, I think you do have a very good point there, we shouldn't yet suspend all bus services. I said that suspending all bus services would be the most sensible thing to do once the situation in the UK gets very bad. And with a lot of increasing cases, as I stated before, hardly anyone will be out over the next few days.

I disagree that hardly anyone will be out over the next few days. Maybe a little less but not hardly anyone.

Yes we shouldn't be complacent and we should take precautions but equally we should follow the advice and go about our daily routine. I guess you can argue whether our precautions are right compared to other countries, like Germany where they have closed theatres.

If you have an underlying health condition, visit someone or live with someone then you might want to not be out so much.

 

[Geordie driver]

I think you've rather missed my point. If a country has such a serious issue with Coronavirus that it needs to protect its drivers, clearly revenue protection becomes a completely minor issue. Nobody at the transport authority will be losing sleep over fare dodging...

Which transport authority is that?

 

[6Gman]

Completely suspending all bus services sounds the sensible option for the UK. No one apart from people who aren't feeling well or doctors assisting the unwell is going to be out anyway over the next few weeks, making bus services pointless for now.

How are people going to get to work?
How are they going to go shopping?

 

[Baxenden Bank]

The guidance for Italians seems somewhat confused - at least viewed from the UK and based on BBC News reports.
You have to stay at home, but can travel to work and shop. Restaurants can open daytime but not evenings - how does that work, is it a nightime virus? One person quoted thought it was OK to go out for a bike ride because you're not meeting anyone. Another drove for 3.5 hours to then self-isolate with hubby.

Planes and trains are running internally, perhaps internationally. Road borders are open internationally - except Austria has just got stroppy on three crossings. Are ferries operating?

Lockdown to me, means like a curfew. No-one is allowed out. Full stop.

How are people going to get to work?
How are they going to go shopping?

Because, in this country, there are a lot of people who simply will not understand that some people (freaks, obviously!) still rely on public transport to go about their daily business. And that without access to public transport they cannot do that. Oh, it's ok, everyone has access to a car, they just prefer public transport for some of their trips.

 

[Busaholic]

Surely with the current drastic, not-seen-since-Mussolini times in Italy there are no longer any buses in service, so isn't all this rather academic?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Lockdown to me, means like a curfew. No-one is allowed out. Full stop.

I think you misunderstand how Italian politics work.

However, going out for a bike ride or run/walk on your own, not coming within 2m of another person, is pretty low-risk both in terms of catching or spreading it.

 

[richw]

In China where 3000+ have died over 95% of the dead are older than 60 years old! A majority of those ill enough to need treatment in the U.K. so far are pensioners. It is having next to no effect on younger people. Simple solution would be to lock up all our pensioners and let the rest of us get on with life!

 

[SouthEastBuses]

How are people going to get to work?
How are they going to go shopping?

They'll probably do what they did in Italy. So basically close schools, universities, offices... everything.

@Everyone I'm not panicking but it's for my safety to not go out, for now. Becuase even though it's only (as of right now) 382 cases with 6 deaths, this will spread to 1000 in a matter of days. And it won't be long until something similar to Italy happens in the UK too.

 

[richw]

They'll probably do what they did in Italy. So basically close schools, universities, offices... everything.

@Everyone I'm not panicking but it's for my safety to not go out, for now. Becuase even though it's only (as of right now) 382 cases with 6 deaths, this will spread to 1000 in a matter of days. And it won't be long until something similar to Italy happens in the UK too.

presumably you are elderly or in otherwise poor respiratory health? If neither apply it will be no different to normal flu. Try some actual research of the mortality data

 

[Bletchleyite]

They'll probably do what they did in Italy. So basically close schools, universities, offices... everything.

@Everyone I'm not panicking but it's for my safety to not go out, for now. Becuase even though it's only (as of right now) 382 cases with 6 deaths, this will spread to 1000 in a matter of days. And it won't be long until something similar to Italy happens in the UK too.

Unless you have a serious medical condition of some kind, as things stand you are panicking and should live your life as normal with the precautions advised by the Government i.e. handwashing etc, and only self-isolate if you suspect you may have it either because of symptoms or because of where you've been.

If/when it does spread, that advice will change, and you should then follown the changed advice.

The people dealing with this are not thick and do know what they are doing, and it is mostly the civil service, not politicians, that are doing it.