Filenews 1 December 2020 - by Petros Theoharidis
Up to 100% of their approved capacity will be able to board buses and taxis rather than the 50% originally said by the Minister of Health, despite other restrictions placed by government measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus.
The only protection measure that continues to apply is the mandatory use of masks by drivers and passengers.
In particular, the Decree of the Minister of Transport issued in relation to the new measures states that the maximum number of passengers who can carry public transport, i.e. regular passenger buses with a fare per passenger, buses with an 'E' licence, buses to and from airports (shuttle), as well as taxis, as well as private buses with a road licence, in all the provinces of Cyprus , shall be determined as the authorised capacity of each vehicle.
As explained, in relation to frequent flyer buses with a fare per passenger, arrangements are made to route additional buses when the number of passengers is increased at certain peak times. According to the information provided by 'F', the 50% capacity initially announced was again found to be impractical especially for student routes, where the necessary number of buses is not and cannot be guaranteed in practice to reduce capacity to 50%.
On regular routes in all cities, the main routes, particularly during peak hours with a occupancy of more than 50%, are not too many and these – the main ones concern routes to the local social security offices – provision is made for more frequent routes, so that any passengers who stay outside the first bus that passes through the stop do not wait too long for the next one.
It should be noted that the main problems of passenger density on buses are observed at certain times and routes mainly on urban low-level buses, where their licensed capacity is in the order of 90-95 passengers, since for example there are 45 seats and another 45 standing passengers are allowed.
The high density of passengers is also an issue that provokes reactions from bus drivers who believe that the risk of their contamination is significantly increased.
Please note that the use of a protective face mask by employees (drivers, controllers, supervisors, etc.) and passengers on all buses and taxis, regardless of age (i.e. children), is mandatory.
