Northamptonshire buses a step nearer being back to normal from next weekend

Passengers queue for a bus in Northampton during the lockdown. Photo: Leila Coker

Northamptonshire's buses will be another step nearer returning to normal next weekend.

The county's biggest bus operator Stagecoach says it will restore many of the services slashed during the Covid-19 crisis.

Bosses hope the extra vehicles on the road will ease some of the problems faced by passengers as demand increases while the number of seats is reduced by the need to maintain social distancing on board.

Stagecoach Midlands managing director Mark Whitelocks said: “We have been working really hard to manage our service levels and in June we significantly stepped these up.

"The latest changes are about further increasing services, where we’re seeing the most usage on the network.

"It ensures that we are putting in enough capacity so that our customers can have confidence about travelling safely with us, as we continue adapting as lockdown restrictions are lifted.”

Pubs and restaurants are able to reopen from this weekend as part of the latest easing of lockdown measures imposed by Boris Johnson in March in a bid to slow the spread of Covid-19 although Government advice remains to only use public transport when essential and there is no other option.

Passengers must wear face masks on public transport. Photo: Leila Coker

Demand for bus services plummeted by 85 per cent with just key workers using public transport to travel.

Stagecoach restored some services earlier this month but had to juggle increasing demand following the opening of non-essential shops and people slowly returning to work with the need for social distancing and staffing levels as drivers showing coronavirus symptoms were forced to self-isolate.

All that meant the average double-decker can only carry 20 passengers instead of around 80.

Further increases in the level of services from Sunday (July 5) will help boost capacity as lockdown continues to be eased.

Emergency bus timetables were originally introduced in March to help key workers get to and from work and for other essential journeys. Bus service levels have gradually been increasing ever since; with some back to near normal levels.

Details of the new timetables can be found on the Stagecoch website.