The Government assures members of the public that all necessary COVID-19 protection and prevention measures are being undertaken by the Gibraltar Bus Company to ensure the safety of drivers and customers.

A strict testing programme for bus drivers ensured that last week, positive cases were quickly identified and isolated, preventing the further spread of the virus to staff or the public. Bus drivers follow the same testing programme as other frontline workers, that is once every four weeks. Additionally, that there was no detrimental effect on service provision to customers demonstrates the effectiveness of the robust contingency measures in place to ensure continuity of the bus service.

On the advice of Public Health Gibraltar, the bus service has been operating at 50% capacity since its recommencement in June. All buses are cleaned daily, including the sanitising of seats, hand rails, buttons and the drivers’ cabin. The use of masks and hand sanitiser is mandatory for drivers and clients, and the air conditioning is set to fresh air mode, which does not recirculate the same air through the vehicle.

All staff members must socially distance themselves from each other, wear masks and sanitise their hands frequently. Use of common areas is restricted. Screens between the drivers’ cabin and the public area of the busses were removed after a trial revealed that the screens obscured the drivers’ line of sight and created poor visibility. The removal of the screens was at the recommendation of the drivers and agreed by Public Health Gibraltar.

Minister for Transport, the Hon Vijay Daryanani MP, said: “The Government has acted, and will continue to act based on the Public Health advice it receives. I am confident that we have robust measures in place, which ensure the safety of all Gibraltar Bus Company staff and bus users. I am very grateful to all the staff at the Gibraltar Bus Company who are at the frontline of this pandemic and have ensured that we are able to provide this important service to our community.”