Additional government guidance on the wearing of face coverings on public transport has broadly met the expectations of operators says the organisation representing the country’s light rail sector.

Since the recent announcement that coverings would become mandatory, UKTram has worked closely with the Department for Transport and members on the best way to implement the new rules that come into force today (June 15).

James Hammett, Managing Director of UKTram, explained: “Alongside colleagues from other organisations – including the Association of Local Bus Managers, the Urban Transport Group and the Confederation of Public Transport – we’ve been actively raising the concerns of members and presenting effective ways to implement the new rules.

“That many of these proposals have been adopted, and helped to shape the latest government guidance, is to be welcomed. Public transport operators will appreciate the greater clarity the guidance provides.”

The new guidelines cover a number of topics raised by UKTram on behalf of members and include more detailed information on the types of face coverings that are acceptable and who may be exempt from the new rules.

“There is also some additional information on enforcement but clearly more work needs to be done in this area and we’ll continue to work on practical solutions that best suit the individual requirements and capabilities of operators,” Mr Hammett said.

“In the coming days we’ll also publish a full breakdown of the areas of guidance that apply to light rail on our website while continuing to help operators with implementation,” he added.