Colourful coverings for faces and buses as Yorkshire's Coastliner service adopts new measures on public transport

Bus operator Coastliner is selling this designer face covering in the colours of
each of its sister companies across the North, in aid of NHS Charities Together. — Bus operator Coastliner is selling this designer face covering in the colours of each of its sister companies across the North, in aid of NHS Charities Together.

As buses across the country adopt new Government instructions to wear face coverings when using public transport introduced from today (June 15), Yorkshire bus operator Coastliner is making it easy to buy one – and help NHS charities at the same time.

A specially designed face covering featuring all the colours of parent company Transdev’s bus services across the North is going on sale for just £2.50 – with all the proceeds going to NHS Charities Together, supporting NHS staff and volunteers caring for COVID-19 patients nationwide.

Transdev is also giving away 250 of the colourful coverings to key workers who’ve been riding its buses to get to work throughout the lockdown – to claim, email: [email protected] with either your bus pass number, or the email address registered to your mobile ticket account.

Coastliner’s CEO Alex Hornby said: “The latest Government guidance is a simple ‘ask’ of our customers, so everyone can travel with peace of mind.

Coastliner Operations Director Vitto Pizzuti (front left) and CEO Alex Hornby (front right) with the bus firms team sporting its specially designed face coverings in the colours of each of parent company Transdevs bus operators across the North.

“Our buses are clean, safe and ready to go, and we want everyone to travel in comfort and confidence.

"Several of our buses also now have ‘coverings’ of their own, right up front where everyone can see them – like our customers, we’re putting our best face on.

“We’ve always set out to make our buses places people want to be seen, and the same unique touch of style we’ve become famous for has gone into creating unique face coverings, which will be available to our customers from bus stations in Malton and Leeds.”

A two-minute video, filmed on location in the North of England, is also helping to dispel any customer concerns about using buses now that lockdown restrictions have begun to ease.

Transdev’s new film, titled See From The Eyes Of A Customer – We’re Clean, Safe and Ready To Go is now live online here, on YouTube here.

The Government has also given guidance on who doesn’t have to wear a face covering on public transport – this includes:

· Babies and children under 11 years old

· People with breathing difficulties

· Those with some physical, mental or sensory conditions who would not be able to put on a covering or may not understand the need to wear one, or who would be impaired by a covering, including those who rely on lip reading

· Carers travelling with someone who would find communication with a face covering in place difficult

· Any customers on dedicated school bus services

Complete information on how to plan a journey, including how Coastliner’s website and mobile app can help customers check how busy a bus is before setting out, is available online here and on the easy to use Transdev Go mobile app.

Friendly drivers and customer information teams are also ready to help with any questions at bus stations and key city centre stops, and on Twitter @yorkbus and Facebook.