Rail and bus passengers WON'T be forced to wear masks but will be asked to when ...

Rail and bus companies have said that face coverings will not be compulsory when Covid restrictions are lifted on July 19.

Passengers will be expected to wear masks when services are busy, in line with Government guidance and operators will be permitted to turn customers away if they refuse to wear a mask unless they are exempt.

Transport secretary Grant Schapps said it would be up to rail and bus operators to decide whether they wanted masks to be compulsory. 

But groups representing rail and bus companies are not considering this over concerns it will make the public fear transport is unsafe.  

The decision to lift mandatory mask wearing has been met by resistance from critics who say the decision to wear one should not be a matter of personal responsibility.

Meanwhile, London mayor Sadiq Khan yesterday said the 'simplest and safest option' was for the Government to retain the existing national legal requirement for face coverings on public transport.

Transport for London has yet to confirm whether they will make face coverings mandatory on its network. 

The Confederation of Passenger Transport, which represents the bus and coach industry, has called for clearer regulations from the Government but said in the absence of that, passengers' choices will be respected.

In a statement the CPT said: 'We expect that many people, especially in busy places, will follow the Prime Minister's call to continue to wear a face covering as a courtesy to others.

'Passengers though will find it difficult to understand why the Prime Minister has singled out public transport as somewhere to wear a face covering when a range of other activities share its characteristics.

'We now need to see clear guidance for operators and customers but, in the absence of regulations, it is important that we respect everyone's right to choose whether to wear a face covering.

'The industry is doing everything it can to

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