Transport leaders urge Government to change its messaging on avoiding trains and buses

[duncanp]

Interesting that it is now transport leaders who are now telling the government that the messaging needs to change.

Perhaps some people in the rail industry have realised the long term effect of all these "key workers only" and "IS YOUR JOURNEY REALLY ESSENTIAL" messages that have been rammed down peoples' throats for the past three months.

If people are continually put off using public transport, they will find alternative means of transport, and won't necessairly return to using the railways.

Transport leaders urge Government to change its messaging on avoiding trains and buses

Transport giant FirstGroup says it's time to let commuters know 'public transport is safe'

www.telegraph.co.uk

Transport leaders have urged the Government to stop encouraging people to avoid trains and buses, saying it is time to send commuters the signal that "public transport is safe".
Matthew Gregory, chief executive of transport giant FirstGroup, said it is time to "move away" from telling passengers to avoid travelling for non-essential journeys.
Despite many coronavirus lockdown restrictions easing in recent weeks, the Department for Transport still continues to tell people to stay off public transport if they can.
Mr Gregory said: "Face coverings are now mandatory on public transport and I think with that we can change the message to the fact that public transportation is safe.
“We've enhanced the cleaning, we've enhanced the disinfectant, we've dealt with social distancing properly to try and avoid crowding.
“We've made this case to Government to start moving away from that avoiding public transport because we have to get the economy moving again, people want to travel again and move again.”
Restaurants, pubs and hairdressers are now open across England, and on Thursday gyms and swimming pools were given the green light to return.

Latest figures show that road traffic has returned to 83 per cent of pre-lockdown levels, but train use across Britain and bus use outside London is at 16 per cent and 29 per cent respectively.
Mr Gregory added: “If we're revitalising the hospitality industry, then we want people to go on public transportation, we don't want them getting in their cars and having congestion and air pollution.
“It was right at the time, but it is time now to move away from that messaging to something more that promotes the safe use of public transport.”
A Department for Transport spokesman signalled that messaging on public transport could change in the near future, saying the advice is under “continual review”.
The Government is coming under mounting pressure on the issue, with passenger watchdog Transport Focus urging Grant Shapps to review the Government’s communication strategy.
In a letter to the Transport Secretary, chief executive Anthony Smith said: “It seems unfair that people who don’t have alternatives to public transport may be put off using it due to unclear or inconsistent messages.
“People need to be clear on whether they can or cannot use public transport.
“The Government and transport industry must urgently review the message it puts out.”

 

[squizzler]

What is needed is a series of public information films or "infomercials" to give a consistent message across the whole industry - rather than individual businesses doing their own thing - paid for by the government. Bring back the old "British Transport Films" unit!

 

[FQTV]

I noticed yesterday that Transpennine Express is running a survey about public attitudes to rail and general travel.

During this challenging time, we need your help.

We’re asking for your thoughts on how Coronavirus has impacted feelings on rail travel and your general travel habits.

We'd be really grateful for your participation in our survey:

Online Survey Software: Closed Survey

www.research.net

I did wonder if this might (at least in part) be designed to provide First Group with more data to pressure Government and the DfT into promoting rail travel.

 

[Mike395]

I’ve just noticed the banner on the Network Rail Twitter feed has changed to ‘Travel safely this summer’ - could this be a hint of some new industry wide messaging coming down the tracks? (Excellent news if so!)

 

[YorksDMU]

I’ve just had a look at the National Rail Twitter feed, but that is still asking “Is your journey necessary?”. So no change there as yet.

 

[Bishopstone]

Southern have been opinion-polling me almost weekly since May, from their Passenger Panel database, with a question set that has turned towards re-building confidence in rail travel, and suggests changed messaging may be imminent.

Via other questions, they’ve been eager to understand whether the nature of my work commuting will change, long term: more days pw spent working from home etc. It’s clear the TOCs and DfT are considering the future in some depth.

 

[higthomas]

I too had a survey (from Great Northern) about returning to the train. To which pretty much all of my answers were I'll return as soon as the advice changes; so hopefully that will back them up.

I very much hope the transport message properly changes soon. Given the government is paying for all the empty public transport I'm hopeful; but I have been for months now so who knows.

 

[joncombe]

Not specific to trains, but I just heard a radio advert for Wightlink encouraging leisure trips to the Isle of Wight (they've previously been "essential trips only", so this is a change). Equally on the buses some companies like More Bus in Dorset are saying they are "good to go", which is some sort of Visit Britain initiative (see https://www.morebus.co.uk/were-good-go) suggesting they are encouraging leisure journeys again and also announced the resumption of summer-only services to e.g. Lulworth Cove which generally only run in school summer holidays and are primarily for leisure travel. So it feels that outside of the railway at least, the message is changing. I hope the same will be true of trains soon.

 

[AdamWW]

Interesting that it is now transport leaders who are now telling the government that the messaging needs to change.

Perhaps some people in the rail industry have realised the long term effect of all these "key workers only" and "IS YOUR JOURNEY REALLY ESSENTIAL" messages that have been rammed down peoples' throats for the past three months.

If people are continually put off using public transport, they will find alternative means of transport, and won't necessairly return to using the railways.

Transport leaders urge Government to change its messaging on avoiding trains and buses

Transport giant FirstGroup says it's time to let commuters know 'public transport is safe'

www.telegraph.co.uk

Very good news.

And maybe Wales will then follow suit in due course.

My view is that as infection levels are very low, the risk of using public transport is very small. The need for infection control measures is not now to protect individuals on trains, it's to reduce transmission and prevent infections increasing again to the point where going out of the house does become a significant risk again.

I don't know how well you can get this message across though...

This also means that the extent to maintain social distancing becomes a choice. If to prevent infections from rising you can have some but not all of schools and pubs open and trains back at full capacity, the government has to choose which we get to have.

 

[Sand_elf]

Nottingham Station still has the notices at the entrances - BTP - your journey will be refused if it is not essential. The board stating if you are not an essential worker you should not be travelling is at the centre of the concourse.

 

[yorksrob]

Nottingham Station still has the notices at the entrances - BTP - your journey will be refused if it is not essential. The board stating if you are not an essential worker you should not be travelling is at the centre of the concourse.

This is now well over a month out of date.

I wonder what organisation is responsible for having it there ?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Wales is due to have a public transport announcement on Monday.

 

[Starmill]

I think it has become untenable to suggest that it is safe to spend a couple of hours inside a pub or on an aircraft but not on a train. I would still argue for minimising or avoiding those activities completely and have been continuing to practice that myself while waiting for another couple of weeks to see how it goes, but that's a separate question to the one under discussion here.

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

I'm sorry to be blunt and I don't mean to cause offence but the constant "essential travel only" is like a repeating record playing over and over again - I'm really pleased that the government's finally being told to basically change the record!

 

[AdamWW]

I think it has become untenable to suggest that it is safe to spend a couple of hours inside a pub or on an aircraft but not on a train. I would still argue for minimising or avoiding those activities completely and have been continuing to practice that myself while waiting for another couple of weeks to see how it goes, but that's a separate question to the one under discussion here.

So far as I can see, the infection rate in the UK is extremely low and the risk now of contracting it from a train journey, trip to the pub or cinema is very low.

If the infection rate picks up again as a result of the relaxations, that may not continue to be the case.

So I'd say there's a good chance that now is safer than in a couple of weeks...not that I'm rushing myself to be out and about...

Playing devil's advocate - on a plane at least they should know who was on the plane and where they were sitting.

Of course other differences are that the airlines need to sell tickets to stay solvent, unlike railway companies at the moment. Also for most descision-makers in this country rail is a luxury not a necessity - if you can't get the train you just drive. Not so much with air travel.

But...at the moment the primary aim of social distancing must be to keep transmission rates down rather than directly protect individuals because infection levels are so low.

Therefore you can allow some 'risky' behaviour if you compensate for it with stricter restrictions elsewhere. It might be you can afford to have pubs open or relax social distancing on public transport but not both if you want to prevent infections from increasing again. So it isn't necessarily an irrational move.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

It seems that TOCs are their own worst enemy here. From Leeds station's constant announcement to "please only travel if you REALLY need to" to EMR still displaying the old "stay home stay safe" posters at their stations long after the message was superceded, the train companies are still creating a hostile environment for anyone wanting to use the train for leisure.

They will only have themselves to blame if they go bust, no business can survive for long if they keep telling potential customers they're not welcome.

 

[DelW]

They will only have themselves to blame if they go bust, no business can survive for long if they keep telling potential customers they're not welcome.

But other than open-access operators, TOCs are not at any risk of going bust, they're being bankrolled by all of us taxpayers. The more they can continue driving passengers away, the less work they have to do without affecting their income at all. Why would they want all those annoying, complaining passengers back?

Of course that's not sustainable for long, but I don't suppose they're thinking about the future when franchises are probably dead anyway.

 

[Starmill]

They will only have themselves to blame if they go bust, no business can survive for long if they keep telling potential customers they're not welcome.

I'm not sure why you keep repeating this when I know that you know that taxpayers are covering all of their costs, and are likely to continue to do so for the full two years.

 

[MikeWM]

Have I missed something, or is the subsidy for buses only until September? Are we going to see a massive cull in bus services if things don't turn around before then?

My current observations would be that trains have a long way to go, but buses are even further behind.

 

[Bikeman78]

Nottingham Station still has the notices at the entrances - BTP - your journey will be refused if it is not essential. The board stating if you are not an essential worker you should not be travelling is at the centre of the concourse.

I do think we are going round in circles with this. I know Belperpete will disagree with me but if people want to travel, just get on with it. Most people can buy and print tickets at home, or get them from self service machines. Unless they are rejected by the barriers, who is going to question anyone?

It's interesting to note that the Dutch railways have gone completely back to normal. Anyone can travel for any reason. I think France is the same. Are their infection rates much better than ours?

 

[jtuk]

I wonder if there's any correlation between people thinking that public transport isn't safe and the requirement that you need to look like an extra from Outbreak to use it

 

[45107]

It's interesting to note that the Dutch railways have gone completely back to normal. Anyone can travel for any reason. I think France is the same. Are their infection rates much better than ours?

Not completely normal in the Netherlands. Face coverings remain compulsory, but looks like all seating capacity is available.

 

[Bikeman78]

Not completely normal in the Netherlands. Face coverings remain compulsory, but looks like all seating capacity is available.

Apologies, yes face coverings still required. No other restrictions or discouragement though.

 

[sheff1]

I wonder if there's any correlation between people thinking that public transport isn't safe and the requirement that you need to look like an extra from Outbreak to use it

I made that point on another thread.

Despite Mr Gregory saying: "Face coverings are now mandatory on public transport and I think with that we can change the message to the fact that public transportation is safe." in my view, the fact that you are forced to wear 'protective gear' to travel suggests, subliminally at least, that public transport is somehow unsafe.

 

[mmh]

I do think we are going round in circles with this. I know Belpergate will disagree with me but if people want to travel, just get on with it. Most people can buy and print tickets at home, or get them from self service machines. Unless they are rejected by the barriers, who is going to question anyone?

What's particularly confusing is all the posts from people detailing the signs and announcements they see and hear at stations and on trains, then asking how do we get people to return to the railway, when they themselves obviously have.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Well ,I ventured up to that there London today - 2 GTR trains and 2 deep level tubes -a lot of walking around , a pub visit (one pint only) , bookshops x 3 and visits to Blackfriars , Kings Cross Main , Suburban and all 3 bits of St Pancras in public areas.

I felt no fear or concern anywhere - plenty of sensible people around everywhere (some wearing masks where abolutely neccesary - and wisely so) , plenty of staff around , all public trains spotlessly clean - shops etc doing the neccessary.precautions.

Buses observed from the street looked like having total passenger behaviour compliance. OK - this was a mid-afternoon , but my 2 travelling children give , or state no concern.

Been a long time coming this modest trip out - and I really did appreciate it. First of many.

 

[AdamWW]

What's particularly confusing is all the posts from people detailing the signs and announcements they see and hear at stations and on trains, then asking how do we get people to return to the railway, when they themselves obviously have.

What's confusing about that?

If I choose to give up my car and go everywhere by train, then ask how to get more people to do the same, am I being confusing?

 

[MDB1images]

I wonder if there's any correlation between people thinking that public transport isn't safe and the requirement that you need to look like an extra from Outbreak to use it

It's a big factor!

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Interesting that it is now transport leaders who are now telling the government that the messaging needs to change.

The fresh smell of coffee has hit their wakening nostrils.

For the bus industry, too late I fear. Unless the government support funding is ramped up and kept long-term - by which I mean years of continued support.

 

[Mag_seven]

I travelled on a WMT class 350 service today - they still have "Stay at home / essential travel only" stickers in the windows.