(Glasgow) (Lab): It is usually me who gets a
row for shouting. It is nice to be on the other side, Presiding
Officer.
To ask the Scottish Government what
discussions it has had with transport operators in Glasgow
regarding compliance with the wearing of face coverings on public
transport. (S5O-04668)
The Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and
Connectivity (): Transport Scotland is in regular dialogue
with transport operators who have been reminded, as per Scottish
Government guidance, that they are expected to consider
displaying prominent signage highlighting that face coverings
must be worn and also that their staff may make inquiries of a
passenger who is not wearing a face covering and remind them of
their legal obligation to do so, unless they are exempt.
Transport Scotland officials continue to monitor levels of
compliance with the legislation, in conjunction with operators.
The guidance and the legislation remain under review.
: I
n recent weeks,
there have been several reports of a significant number of people
not wearing masks on buses. Just last week, Firstbus contacted every school in
Glasgow over concerns that a significant number of pupils were
flouting the rules, a situation that is
“putting drivers’ lives at risk”.
Given that concern, will the
minister make a commitment to engage with transport operators
in Glasgow, Police Scotland, Glasgow City Council and all the
relevant agencies to ensure both that enough support is in
place to protect drivers and allow them to operate safely, and
that all passengers are aware of and co-operate with the
national guidance?
: raises an important issue. I recognise the concerns
that she has expressed, which is why we have regular dialogue
with transport operators to make sure that they are reinforcing
the message that people need to wear face coverings.
mentioned school pupils. That issue was identified a
number of weeks ago when the schools returned after the summer
holidays. At that point, we took proactive action by engaging
directly with local authorities to make sure that they were
communicating the need for school pupils to wear face coverings
when they are on public transport and at particular locations.
We also worked with the British Transport Police and Police
Scotland to make sure that there are officers at key hubs,
encouraging school pupils to make sure that they have a face
covering.
I assure that we will continue to engage with local
authorities to make sure that they are getting that message
across as effectively as possible to parents and school pupils.
We will continue to look at what further measures we can take
to make sure that we encourage people to wear face coverings
when they are on public transport, for their own protection and
for the protection of those who work on our public transport
systems.
