Coronavirus - COVID19: Service information
At First Bus your safety and comfort on board are our priority. As the government restrictions ease, you will notice that more people are travelling and coming together safely. This means that places and buses are busier than they have been; so once you board, you might find you have to sit next to someone. To help with the increased number of passengers, we have now increased the capacity on our buses, in England.
Travelling on our buses
Before you travel:
- Use the First Bus App to plan your journey and buy your ticket
- Use our Space Checker tool to find out when your bus is less busy
- Please bring a face covering as it is mandatory to wear onboard at all times, unless you are exempt. Click here for exemptions
- Bring hand sanitiser
- We encourage our customers to download the NHS COVID19 App
- From 17th May we increased the capacity on board our buses, safely providing as much capacity as possible in-line with the latest Government advice. This is possible due to new seating restrictions which will mean that every passenger is able to be seated in a forward-facing or side-facing position but the use of rear-facing seats will not be permitted.
At the Bus Stop:
- Use the First Bus App to track where your bus is and the number of free seats available
- Please social distance from other passengers waiting too
- Put on your face covering before you board the bus, it is a legal requirement unless you are exempt
- When your bus arrives, please allow space for passengers to leave the bus before you step onboard
- Get your payment method ready – mTickets on the First Bus App, contactless card, concessionary pass or the exact change
On Board:
- We encourage customers to make cashless payments to avoid cash handling
- It is a legal requirement to wear a face covering, unless you are exempt otherwise you could be fined up to £200
- Please follow the social distancing sashes to show you where to sit
- Our windows need to remain open to maintain airflow
- To assist others less mobile, please sit upstairs on double deckers
- We have increased our cleaning regime, but please help by not eating or drinking on board and remove any rubbish when you leave
Are your bus services changing?
There are no changes happening to our services at this moment in time. Please continue to check this page for further updates. Our staff are working very hard to ensure that you can travel with confidence across our services.
What services are you currently operating?
You can see all services in operation on our current timetables page here >>
For information on school services, click here >>
Who can travel on your services during the latest lockdown?
Our services remain availble for anyone who needs them - if you are flexible with when you can travel, please use our Space Checker to help plan a journey at quieter times.
Are you making any changes to safety measures onboard?
We have worked hard to ensure it's as safe as possible to travel on our buses:
- You must wear a face covering (unless you're exempt) - more information >>
- We're operating at reduced capacities to allow social distancing - use our app to see how many seats are left on your bus to help you plan your journey. Please don't sit on seats marked as 'out of use'
- Our enhanced cleaning regine continues
Please ensure you respect your fellow passengers by:
- Putting your face covering on before boarding, ensuring it covers your nose & mouth - please keep it on for your whole journey
- Maintaining social distance
- Using cashless payments, wherever possible or buying in advance through the app (we'll still take cash & give change if you need to use cash)
- Keeping windows open to help with ventilation (sorry, we know it's chilly!)
- Downloading the NHS COVID-19 app and keeping it active on board - find out more >>
What assistance is provided for disabled passengers?
Support for disabled passengers remains the same as before coronavirus, see here for more details ⇒
We offer our full support to wheelchair users who want to travel with us. While many of our seats are blocked with signs or tape, our wheelchair spaces remain available. All our buses have a dedicated area for wheelchair users; other passengers are required to give up the space for wheelchair users. Please ask the driver for assistance if you require any help. If the driver needs to leave their cab to provide passenger assistance, they will wear a face covering.
Wheelchair users have priority over everyone else for the use of the designated wheelchair space, since this is the only place in which they can travel safely.
- If the ramp is required, please keep a 2 metre distance whilst the driver puts the ramp in place.
- The driver will keep the time they are within 2 metres of you to an absolute minimum.
What tickets are available?
Our full range of tickets (excluding most group tickets) is available.
Concessionary passes are valid for free travel after 0930 Monday-Friday and all day weekends.
| Please watch our videos for information and advice for travelling on the bus during the coronavirus situation:
|
|
 |
Travel safely on our buses: Social distancing and travel information: Video ⇒ |
 |
Face coverings: Video ⇒ |
 |
First Bus App: Know where your bus is and how many seats are available: Video ⇒ |
 |
Social distancing information for customers who are visually impaired: Video ⇒ |
For our general information please see our main Coronavirus information page »
View our Coronavirus risk assessment >>
This page was last updated on 20th May 2021
