Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made requests to (a) train operating companies and (b) Transport for London to undertake customer surveys to estimate the level of demand for public transport as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Secretary of State has not asked train operating companies nor Transport for London to undertake customer surveys to estimate the level of demand for public transport as restrictions are eased.
Demand for public transport is being monitored daily through ticket sales data, and through tube entries/exits and bus boarding numbers for Transport for London. This gives a more granular and time-sensitive assessment of demand than would be possible through surveys. This information is published each week on the gov.uk website and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/transport-use-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that disabled people that are legitimately not wearing a face covering on public transport are identifiable to (a) the public and (b) transport staff.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Government’s updated Safer Transport guidance for operators and for passengers highlights that specific exemptions apply, including for health, equality or age reasons. We are ensuring that operators have appropriate communications and staff briefing in place so that both staff and passengers are aware of the exemptions. Train operating companies have communicated the exemptions to their customers and staff, as have other operators. If prompted by staff, passengers should explain that they are exempt from the regulation. We know some operators have a badge or lanyard scheme which assists with this.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of exempting people with disabilities unable to wear face masks from the recent Government requirement for people to wear face masks on public transport during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
We have undertaken an Equalities Impact Assessment and have taken advice from the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, as well as other disability stakeholder groups. We expect everyone to wear a face covering if they can, but recognise reasonable adjustments are necessary for some people. Exemptions will apply for those unable to wear a face covering, for example people with disabilities, those with breathing difficulties, or young children.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that South Western Railway passengers who pay using daily tickets, Oyster or contactless pay-as-you go are aware of their entitlement to compensation arising from service cancellations as a result of the strike action of December 2019.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Officials will be working with South Western Railway (SWR) to ensure that they maximise awareness of the right to compensation for passengers who travelled during this time and meet the criteria for the additional compensation.
SWR presently have initial information on their website about the level of compensation to be offered and further information will follow as soon as possible. Details can be found here https://www.southwesternrailway.com/december-2019-strike-compensation