Big Conversation Portsmouth: Here's how many passengers Stagecoach and South Western Railway are carrying after lockdown

It comes after The News’ Big Conversation survey found 72.22 per cent of more than 1,000 respondents felt uncomfortable or not at all comfortable about using public transport.

Just shy of 20 per cent said they felt comfortable or very comfortable.

A spokesman for Stagecoach, which runs buses between Portsmouth, Havant and Hayling Island, said: ‘We’ve worked closely with national governments and local authorities to ensure lifeline bus services are there for our communities where and when they need them, and we are now running at more than 90 per cent of our pre-Covid network levels.’

Safety measures on the company’s buses, which carry Visit Britain’s We’re Good to Go mark, include social distancing, daily deep cleans, contactless payments and the government’s mandatory use of face coverings.

South Western Railway, which takes passengers between Portsmouth and London by train, has taken on similar measures – including enhanced cleaning regimes on trains and at stations, hand sanitiser, increased capacity to allow for social distancing and face coverings.

A spokesman for the firm said: ‘In terms of passenger numbers, we are currently seeing approximately 30 per cent of our pre-Covid levels, however with the government asking those who can work from home to do so, this clearly has an impact on these levels. Like all franchised rail operators, we are currently under an Emergency Recovery Measures agreement with the Department for Transport, which sees the government take on the cost and revenue risk of running the railways.’

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