In a change to its regular Technical Insight feature, Imperial Engineering’s Sales Director, John Dwight, pays tribute to the hard work and dedication shown by the UK bus industry during the coronavirus COVID-19 crisis
We wanted to use this opportunity to add our support and gratitude to bus operators and their staff across the UK who are working hard to ensure that transport services needed by key workers continue to run. Thousands of transport employees, including drivers, engineers and cleaning teams, are playing a crucial role in keeping the country functioning during these unprecedented times – demonstrating the professionalism and public service ethos that lies at the heart of our industry.
In many instances, buses are a lifeline. Not only for frontline workers, including emergency services and NHS staff, but also for members of the public such as elderly and disabled people that rely on local transport links for food shopping.
Operators throughout the country have responded quickly and decisively to the public health crisis which has required them to balance a significant reduction in demand with the need to protect drivers and provide a sufficient amount of buses to ensure that passengers can observe social distancing guidelines when they travel.
Numerous operators have also formed partnerships with local authorities and the NHS to keep the country moving with initiatives such as dedicated shuttle bus services for hospital staff, and demand-responsive transport services for healthcare workers supporting local communities. Further examples include operators introducing shopper shuttle services for rural communities and the provision of bus garages and engineering facilities for the commissioning of new ambulances and recommissioning of old vehicles.
We would also like to pay tribute to our own staff, who have quickly adapted to new working practices and are working together to ensure that we continue to support our customers by providing high levels of service and access to the parts they need to keep buses on the road.
Above all, we hope that all readers of routeone are OK and remain in good health.
John Dwight
