Coronavirus outbreak – advice on taking the bus in Lincoln

Service status

This is the current operational status for each bus company in Lincoln.

The current advice from the Government is that everyone should stay at home as much as possible and passengers should only take the bus if absolutely necessary. Bus operators in Lincoln are still running most bus services but some are running at a reduced service.

This article sets out guidance on how to help to protect yourself while travelling on a bus in Lincoln and what bus operators are doing to help keep bus passengers safe.

This article was written in good faith but please always check the official Government website for the latest and most accurate advice. Advice may change daily.

COVID-19 is a new illness caused by Coronavirus with symptoms including a high temperature, shortness of breat, a continuous cough and a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste. The elderly and those with existing medical conditions are particularly vulnerable to the affects of COVID-19.

Protecting yourself and other bus passengers

If you have a one or more of the symptoms listed above, you should stop taking the bus and you should self-isolate at home for 7 days and ask for help from family and friends.

if you are defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable, you should not take the bus.

Everyone should wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before boarding a bus in Lincoln. Wash your hands again after alighting from a bus.

While on a bus if you need to cough or sneeze; cover your mouth with tissue and dispose this tissue carefully in the next available bin. Please do not dispose your tissues in ticket recycling bins located on the buses.

Wear a face covering if you can

The Government have advised that wearing a face covering can protect other bus passengers if you are infected but have not yet developed symptoms. Evidence suggests that face coverings do not protect you but could protect other bus passengers.

Wearing a face covering on a bus in Lincoln is optional and is not required by law.

Steps to take when on the bus

• Face away from other people if the bus station in Lincoln is busy.
• Be careful not to touch your face and be wary of the surfaces you touch.
• Wait for passengers to get off the bus before you board.
• Be prepared for longer queues at the bus station or when waiting for a bus.
• Wait for the next service if you cannot safely keep your distance on the bus.
• Respect other people’s social distance when on the bus.
• Do not eat food or drink while on the bus.
• If you need help from a member of staff, keep your distance.
• Social distancing applies to children too, ensure your children keep a 2 meter distance from others at all times either at the Lincoln bus station or whilst on the bus.

Bus operators are taking measures

Bus operators are enhancing their cleaning regimes on the buses in Lincoln. Stagecoach have said that in response to the developing situation they have put in place “more regular cleaning of the main customer touch-points such as hand poles and grab rails”.

Stagecoach have said that they have issued each frontline staff member with their own personal hand sanitizer gel. Stagecoach are not currently dispensing hand sanitizer gel to bus passengers in Lincoln.

Brylaine have issued their drivers with gloves and hand sanitizer and each bus undergoes “extensive cleaning and hygiene regimes”.

Concessionary Travel before 09:30

Stagecoach have announced that they will temporarily allow concessionary travel before 09:30 so that "the elderly and vulnerable can access the exclusive opening times offered by some supermarkets and banks." This means bus passengers can use their concessionary bus pass before 09:30.