LibertyBus to continue accepting cash payment

libertybus. Bus . Transport. Picture: JON GUEGAN

Kevin Hart, the Channel Islands director of CT Plus, the parent company of LibertyBus, added that Islanders should still try to use cashless methods of payment such as contactless cards and bus passes wherever possible.

He said: ‘They [Guernsey] made the switch primarily due to Covid. We went cashless at the start of the pandemic but we have since reintroduced it, but we don’t see as much cash as we used to take in.’

He added that cash payments currently made up around 20% of transactions, while in 2019 the figure was around 40%.

‘We are encouraging people to find different ways to pay, for example with a contactless card or an AvanchiCard – it’s cleaner and simpler for everybody. So if you don’t have to pay with cash, then don’t,’ he said.

Mandatory mask wearing in indoor public spaces was yesterday (Wednesday 21 July) brought back into force, amid a surge in Covid-19 cases. Mr Hart reminded Islanders that masks remained a condition of travel, and that those with exemptions should try to display their pass as clearly as possible.

He said: ‘If you have an exemption card please can you make sure that you have made it visible for both the drivers and the staff who are patrolling the bus station to make sure that everyone using the service is doing so responsibly and complying with the rules.’

Mr Hart added that, amid the rising number of Covid cases and the government’s work from home advisory, passenger numbers have declined by roughly 1,000 per week for the past two weeks.

Mr Hart said: ‘What we are seeing is people working from home as well as the end of schools – although there are more visitors enjoying the Island so the numbers are balancing out.’

He added: ‘We are in uncharted times and we really don’t know how it’s going to go, but we should keep looking on the positive side. Yes, the cases are rising, but the quicker everyone follows the rules and the guidance set-up by the government, then the quicker we can get back to normal.’

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