Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to promote the use of non-recirculation mode for air conditioning in buses and taxis during the covid-19 outbreak.

We published advice in our safer transport guidance for transport operators recommending that transport operators should ensure a fresh air supply is consistently flowing through vehicles. To achieve this, operators should consider that recirculating air systems may require adjustments to increase fresh air flow. Government guidance for drivers, operators and owners of taxis and private hire vehicles also states that the recirculated air option for the car’s ventilation system should not be used when carrying passengers.