Coronavirus Transport Update
Guest User
Thank you for following government guidance to stay at home protecting the NHS and saving lives. We’re now advising all Greater Manchester residents to drive, cycle or walk for any essential journeys. Avoid public transport and only use it as a last resort.
If you must make necessary journeys for work, to get supplies, to care for others or for medical reasons, you should travel by car, bike or on foot if you can. If you have to travel by car, please take extra care on the roads to reduce pressure on the NHS and emergency services. Walking or cycling for essential journeys is a safe way to travel, it can minimise the spread of the virus and also help maintain your mental and physical wellbeing.
To help limit the spread of the disease, public transport must only be used for essential trips where there’s no other option. If you have to use public transport, wash your hands before and after, follow social distancing guidelines by keeping at least two metres from your fellow passengers, and use contactless payments if possible.
Passenger numbers on Metrolink have reduced by as much as 95%, and between about 80 and 85% on trains and buses, allowing core transport services to continue to run to help health and other critical workers to travel across the region. However, there have still been reports of people making unnecessary, non-essential journeys.
To ensure services can continue to run and to further protect frontline staff, from Monday 6 April Metrolink will reduce the frequency of its services from 12 to every 20 minutes.
Bus and rail services have also been reduced and more changes are expected in the coming weeks.
To further limit the need to travel, TfGM will automatically renew disability concessionary passes that are due to expire. The new passes will be valid for one year and the process will be reviewed on a monthly basis.
Today we’ll be joining transport operators across Greater Manchester on social media to thank transport staff for their crucial work making sure key workers and other people making essential journeys can get where they need to safely. We’re proud of them all. To get involved, follow us on social using the buttons below.
Anyone who needs to make essential journeys should continue to check the TfGM coronavirus webpage for the latest travel information and advice. Please note future TfGM coronavirus emails will be sent to you from customer@tfgm.com.
Please share this message with your friends and family, colleagues, partners and members, and we’ll continue to keep you updated.
Yours,
Stephen Rhodes
Customer Director
Transport for Greater Manchester