METROLINK Greater Manchester tram operators are facing criticism after photos were taken inside one jam packed with passengers despite ‘Travel Safe Officers’ onboard.
Operators are blaming staffing levels for the incident on Tuesday afternoon, which meant it was impossible for anyone to social distance – however it appeared most were wearing masks.
They say they have a range of measures in place to relay Covid related messages, which includes from signage and customer information to enhanced cleaning, dedicated ‘trambassador’ staff and onboard ventilation.
A furious passenger who wishes to remain anonymous said: “I was on the 1723 tram and it was rammed, there is meant to be a pandemic going – there were even MetroLink travel officers onboard but they were doing f**k all.”
He was travelling on the blue line from Salford Quay and got off at Deansgate at 5.42pm.
Transport for Greater Manchester said: “Like many operators, Metrolink is experiencing a rise in Covid infections and staff members being asked to self-isolate through track and trace.
“Currently just under 20% of the workforce are absent so we can’t run all the services we would like.
“This, coupled with rising numbers of people using Metrolink, means our trams are getting very busy, particularly at peak times.
“Social distancing is not possible on all services and we have been encouraging those who can to travel at quieter times. Our teams are doing the best they can to keep things moving and we ask for patience and understanding at this time.”
On Monday (19/07/2021), the government is relaxing its coronavirus restrictions, meaning it’s will no longer be a legal requirement to wear a face covering.
Andy Burnham however is using his own powers to keep face masks compulsory on MetroLink.
He said: “We are still in a pandemic and we need to think in terms of collective safety rather than individual freedom or personal responsibility,”
The Mayor for Greater Manchester added that he was using his own powers to make wearing a face covering a ‘condition of carriage’ on trams.
