Transport secretary Michael Matheson is set to appear before MSPs this afternoon to unveil the Scottish government’s plan to manage public transport as lockdown restrictions are eased.

Mr Matheson will give a statement in Holyrood at 2:20pm today, after the First Minister’s daily press briefing at 12:30pm.

He is expected to outline the Scottish government’s preparations for physical distancing on public transport as people begin to return to work in coming weeks.

Transport secretary Michael Matheson is set to appear before MSPs this afternoon to unveil the Scottish government’s plan to manage public transport as lockdown restrictions are eased.

New technology

New technology may form part of the transport sector’s response to growing demand, with companies like Borders Buses and West Coast Motors developing apps to let waiting passengers know how full approaching buses are.

It is being developed because physical distancing will significantly cut the number of available seats on buses.

Vehicles will have only around one quarter of seats in use, with some double deckers able to carry as few as 18 passengers.

One-way platforms

Event-style queuing systems are also being planned at major train stations across Scotland, with some operators likely to develop one-way platforms for boarding and alighting.

Space on trains is likely to be significantly cut so passengers can keep apart, but officials said this might be eased if face coverings leads to the 2m distancing requirement being reduced to 1.5m like in some other countries.

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Scottish transport secretary Michael Matheson set to unveil post-lockdown public transport plans

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