STAGECOACH is increasing bus service levels in the area from today.

Emergency bus timetables have been in place since March to help key workers get to and from work and for other essential journeys.

Following the announcement by the UK Government of a new bus and light rail restart programme, Stagecoach has confirmed plans for a phased step up in services as more people return to work and other parts of daily life re-open.

From today, bus network timetables in the West will initially return to around 70% of pre-COVID-19 levels with a further uplift to around 80% planned by mid-June.

Details of the new timetables can be found at stagecoachbus.com/westcovid19

Stagecoach has put in place extensive enhanced measures to keep buses clean and passengers and staff safe and ensure people can feel confident about using buses.

Buses which have been parked up during recent weeks have all been deep-cleaned and undergone stringent checks before going into service.

Stagecoach’s enhanced cleaning regime includes at least daily cleaning of all buses with a government-recommended sanitiser, with a particular focus on key touch points, and additional in service cleaning where possible.

All buses will continue to have a protective screen to provide a physical barrier between the driver and passenger.

Face masks are available for drivers, and in line with government advice, Stagecoach is encouraging passengers to wear a face covering.

Social distancing measures are now in place on all bus services, which means that each individual bus has around 20% of normal passenger capacity.

Stagecoach has also issued a ten-point guide to help people understand the measures in place and to help them continue to safely use bus services.

Details can be found at www.stagecoachbus.com/news/national/2020/may/10-point-guide-to-travelling-safely

Rupert Cox, managing director of Stagecoach West said: “We are hugely proud of the fantastic efforts of all of our employees in recent months.

"Our own key workers have made a huge contribution to the national effort and we’d like to thank every one of them and our customers for their support

"Buses are going to continue to play a crucial role in the country’s recovery ahead. As well as helping restart our economy, they are vital in bringing normality back to many areas of our daily lives. They keep families and communities connected and have a major role in delivering a safer, cleaner and healthier country.

“The Stagecoach team are proud to serve our communities and we are delighted to be stepping up our services from today.

"It means we can provide significantly more regular services and more capacity overall as people start to return to their everyday lives.

"We will continue to work with government and local authorities to ensure we can target services where they are needed most.

“The safety of our customers and employees remains our top priority.

"With the extensive measures we have taken and the support of our passengers, they can be confident our buses will be clean, safe and ready to go."