Metro passengers must continue to wear masks after ‘Freedom Day’

Travel operator Nexus, who run Tyne and Wear Metro, have stated that wearing face coverings is a Condition of Carriage and therefore must be worn throughout your journey as well as on stations and trains unless passengers are exempt.

Bosses have warned the public that customers may be refused travel if they do not comply with the rules.

Metro will have extra frontline teams on hand on Monday, July 19, to continue to remind and encourage customers to wear face coverings when using public transport, along with explaining the benefits of doing so.

Nexus have also confirmed that people must wear face coverings when inside bus stations and interchanges or travelling on the Shields Ferry.

Huw Lewis, Customer Services Director at Nexus, states that it is “the right thing to do” in order to keep everyone safe.

He said: “We are all expected and recommended to keep wearing face coverings in busy indoor settings, including shops and on public transport.

“We will be encouraging customers to follow this advice when making journeys and we will have extra teams out on Monday to talk with customers about why that’s the right thing to do for everyone.

“We have made wearing face coverings part of Metro’s Conditions of Carriage, unless you are exempt, and we will use that as a base to encourage people to do so in busy spaces.

"It has never been a legal requirement to wash hands regularly, but we’ve all been doing that and we should take the same approach to face coverings.

“Encouraging people to do the right thing is as important as enforcement powers in keeping everyone safe, and we are joining the much larger North East England campaign with health chiefs, local councils and businesses to promote positive behaviour.

“We want there to be a single clear message about what customers should do on public transport, whether it be Metro or bus or Ferry in North East England.

"Local authority leaders have contacted the Government to ask for clear and consistent powers across the industry which we will support if they are brought in.”

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