TfL Covid-19
Transport for London conducts a trial in which only the middle-door will be allowed for boarding in buses. Credit: Photo by Belinda Fewings on Unsplash.

Transport for London (TfL) has announced plans to conduct a trial of middle-door boarding on buses this week to help limit the spread of Covid-19.

The measure is intended to ensure the safety of TfL staff and critical workers using public transportation to get to their place of work in the fight against the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

The trial will review whether the change leads to any issues in live operations.

TfL Bus Operations director Claire Mann said: “London’s hardworking transport workers are making a heroic effort at the frontline of the fight against this pandemic, and it is only right we consider everything we can to protect them.

“We’ve already delivered many other enhanced safety measures and by trialling middle-door-only boarding on buses we can gain the information we need to see if we can further improve safety on London’s buses.

“Most Londoners can do their bit to protect our bus colleagues and other critical workers by remembering: stay home, don’t travel, save lives.”

The usage of the middle-door only while boarding will help drivers maintain social distancing while working, as they do not have the option to change seats.

This trial is one of several measures taken up to protect bus workers and critical workers. Recently, an extra layer of protection was added to the clear screen, thereby separating drivers from customers.

Working with Unite the Union and bus operators, TfL also installed signage in buses to discourage passengers from using seats close to drivers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Public transport in London remains operational for critical workers and frontline fighters.

The rapid spread of the virus has seen the number of people using buses plummet by around 85%.