Cheshire-based minicoach operator BusyBus has developed TravSafe. It is a package that contains everything needed by passengers to maximise protection against airborne and surface infection where social distancing measures are impractical or impossible.
TravSafe’s purpose is to enable passengers to return to coaches and minicoaches without those vehicles being subject to capacity constraints. Each heat-sealed pack is designed for single use, over either a journey or a day. It contains:
- COVID-aware statement
- Face mask
- Face shield
- Gloves
- Hand wipes
- Tissues.
Instructions are provided and the packaging acts as a safe disposal ‘bin’. Every part of TravSafe is made from recyclable materials.
BusyBus has now handed over the concept to a start-up trading brand, also called TravSafe. It is wholly owned by the operator and operates from BusyBus’s depot near Chester. TravSafe aims to redeploy BusyBus’s workforce until they can take up their usual roles once again.
BusyBus Managing Director Peter Rosenfeld says that the operator does not intend to profit from TravSafe. Instead, its motivation centres on helping its industry peers and ensuring that its own employees remain working.
Adds Mr Rosenfeld: “Doing this is not something that I envisaged 10 weeks ago, and it has tested every entrepreneurial skillset we have.
“The product needed to be practical, sustainable and commercially viable for high-usage coach and transport operators. So many businesses are cashing in on the coronavirus COVID-19 crisis by selling items contained in this pack for over 25 times their value. We do not want to exploit the situation.”
Packs can be purchased online via the TravSafe website for as little as £5.
“That is an unwanted £5 ‘tax’ per passenger, but it is no different to a commission paid to a reseller for delivering clients. It is also the difference between a passenger selecting an operator over a competitor when they feel thought about, safe and secure.”
