SIPTU and the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) have told their members to ignore last night’s Government announcement that public transport should return to 100% capacity from today (September 1). 

In a circulation sent this morning, the Unions originally welcomed the news with some caution, saying that they “would not facilitate the return to the sardine like crush loadings on the various transport modes experienced prior to Covid-19”. They also advised that the two seats behind the driver on certain Bus Éireann Buses posed an unacceptable risk “owing to the lack of proper protective screens”, and accordingly, advised their members that no seating should be permitted in this area. 

However, this afternoon, the Unions issued another message, telling their members to “set aside” their previous correspondence and to keep capacity on the buses and trains to 75%.

“The decision to reassess our previous advice to Members has been exclusively grounded in the statement from An Taoiseach in which he stated that the there would be a ‘gradual and careful easing of restrictions’ through September, culminating in a full lifting of restrictions in October,” the message said. “We believe that the Taoiseach’s gradual and careful easing of restrictions should therefore apply to Public Transport.”

In the letter, which was signed by Dermot O’Leary, General Secretary (NBRU) and John Murphy, Sector Organiser (SIPTU), they said that the current levels of 75% should remain in place until such time as the FULL Public Health Restrictions are lifted, i.e., inline with the Taoiseach’s statement.

Rail

With regard to rail services, the Unions said that they were “conscious of the confusing nature of Rolling Stock Capacity across the various Fleet/Carriage type” and would fully support Frontline Rail workers, inclusive of Train Host, Revenue Protection, Security and Customer Service staff who choose, for their own safety, not to operate on crowded carriages across the Rail Network. “Such an environment, in our view, would serve as incubators for future strains of Covid-19 like viruses”, the unions stated.

A response has been requested from both Bus Eireann and Irish Rail.