I'm a unsure of what actually changes in Covid law/guidelines with respect to travel in England from 29th March.
I believe that all changes is the stay local guidence gets dropped, but travel by public transport should be essential journeys only, without defining what essential actually is in this context.
There is no concept of "essential travel" as such, unless you simply define leaving home for a permitted reason as qualifying.
There is no differentiation between travel
mode, nor has there ever been, nor could there ever be.
Is traveling for a day out regarded as essential?
You may travel for a permitted reason,
for example that could be:
- to bubble up with someone (if you and/or they are eligible);
- for open air recreation, alone, or with your household or one other person
- for exercise
From 29th March it is unclear how the legislation will change; for example they may modify the list of permitted reasons and the maximum numbers allowed in a gathering, or they may do what they did last May and drop the list of permitted reasons to leave home and instead replace it with an overnight stay ban (with a list of exemptions)
Basically, I'd just like to start going places by public transport and would like to know if I'm breaking the law by doing so. Appreciate any thoughts or comments, please.
What matters is whether you are leaving home for a permitted reason.
If you are permitted to do a particular activity, you
may use
any mode of transport.
If you are not permitted to do a particular activity, you may
not use
any mode of transport.
There is absolutely no distinction between transport mode whatsoever; anyone who claims otherwise is mistaken.
I've been on trains a couple of times now over the last week, there is no "essential journeys" messaging (on WMR trains anyway) unlike last year.
And that was merely guidance and not mandatory, as TfW confirmed in an FOI request
https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...ys-allowed-or-not.206316/page-19#post-4736862
...It was not our policy to enforce the types of journeys people were making on TfW services....