Transport for London plays its part in the safe reopening of schools

Local authorities in the UK’s capital are committed to ensuring a safe return to educational establishments

Transport for London has announced that it will be rolling out a number of changes to its usual itinerary in order to accommodate students who are making their return to school in these unprecedented circumstances. The changes that are being introduced are meant to protect their health and make it easier for them to follow rules and regulations, as well as to make sure that everyone can maintain social distance while on public transport.

Doing what’s necessary to keep people safe

With over 250,000 school children in London, local authorities have decided that they have to substantially expand the capacity of the city’s public transport network in order to allow for all citizens to be able to safely travel while respecting social distancing measures.

Thus, between 1 September and the end of October 2020, Transport for London will be adding another 200 buses to its network across low-frequency and already existing school routes. Furthermore, the city’s government will be turning more of its transport options into so-called “school services”, where, according to national guidelines, all seats are allowed to be taken, effectively doubling their capacity.

The “school services” will be clearly marked and will operate not only on their already existing paths but also on other traditional and less frequent routes as well as on key roads between 7:30 and 9:30 AM and 14:30 and 16:30 PM on weekdays. In order to make life easier for everyone living in London, authorities are asking all students travelling to and from school without parental supervision to make use of these special “school services” in order to give other citizens an opportunity to use public transport freely and safely. By doing this, London’s authorities aim to increase the capacity of other routes thus making them a more attractive and healthy option during the pandemic.