Face coverings now mandatory on all public transport

From this morning, it will be mandatory for passengers to wear face coverings while using public transport in Ireland.

The regulations were signed into law on Friday evening, making them legally enforceable on buses and trains from this week. The new rules will affect thousands of Meath's commuters travelling to work in Dublin as well as on local Bus Eireann connecting and town service routes.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin confirmed the introduction of new directives following a meeting with Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and CEO of the HSE Paul Reid.

Bus Eireann services have reported a high uptake in mask use on their services with anywhere between 75% and 98% of passengers on services in the greater Dublin area wearing masks.

However, just 60% of Irish Rail customers have been wearing face coverings on services coming in and out of Heuston Station.

A statement from Bus Eireann says: "In line with Government instruction, face coverings must be worn when boarding or travelling on vehicles from Monday 29 June 2020 and until further notice, unless an exemption applies. (Children inder 13 years-of-age are not required to wear face coverings.

"This will help us to keep everybody safe on board our vehicles.

"Bus Éireann reserves the right to refuse access to or to ask passengers to leave vehicles if they are in contravention of the Government instruction.

However, General Secretary of the National Bus and Rail Union, Dermot O'Leary, has said that it’s “distasteful” to expect bus drivers and train drivers to police passengers who don’t wear face coverings on public transport, ahead of new regulations coming into force.

Speaking on RTE radio yesterday, O’Leary said that there wasn’t as much of a concern of conflict between drivers and passengers, though he added that may happen.

He said the main concern would be of conflict among passengers themselves.

When asked about drivers’ ability to not let people on a bus if they don’t have a fare, and whether face coverings can be an extension of this, O’Leary said that they don’t actually have any legal power to do this.

"When someone made the decision many years ago to get rid of bus conductors, the onus on the driver to insist on a fare was taken away with that. So a driver does not have to stop a person without a fare it’s at the driver’s discretion whether they stop a person without a fare, that’s what the law says."