Transport for London drops mandatory face mask rule

Changes come into effect tomorrow

Face masks will no longer be required for passengers travelling on bus and train services in London, the capital’s transport authority has announced.

Transport for London kept face coverings mandatory in January while they were being phased out nationally in other places such as shops.

But having considered the government’s approach towards “living with the virus” and a “variety of other factors”, including falling case numbers, TfL said it plans to axe the mask mandate.

However, the authority said it would “strongly” recommend that passengers continue to wear face masks if they are able to in a bid to reduce transmission of the virus.

The changes are effective from tomorrow.

“All customers should be assured that the public transport network is as safe as other similar settings, and that independent testing has found no trace of coronavirus on our network since September 2020,” Lilli Matson, TfL’s chief health and safety officer, said.

“We look forward to continuing to welcome customers back to our network as we help London and the economy recover.”

The number of people using TfL services has begun to recover after figures dropped off a cliff at the height of the pandemic as people avoided public transport.

TfL said around 2.2-2.5 million weekday journeys are being made on the Tube, which is around 60 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

Bus ridership is now regularly at around 4.5 million journeys a day, about 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, it added.

It comes after Boris Johnson announced the end of all remaining Covid restrictions in the House of Commons on Monday.

The prime minister’s plan included the scrapping of universal free testing and an end to self-isolation for those who test positive for the virus.

Mr Johnson said the plan would bring society “towards a return to normality”.

Opposition parties described the move as “premature” and “reckless”.