Coach tours unaffected by ‘Rule of Six’
DfT has confirmed to the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) that the new ‘Rule of Six’ will not affect coach tours.
The new rule came into effect on Monday 14 September and bans any gathering larger than six people, with some exceptions. DfT has confirmed that the new regulations have no direct impact on the number of passengers that can be carried in a vehicle and operators should continue to follow the Safer Transport Guidance for Operators issued by the Department in accordance with their own risk assessments.
The Tourism Alliance also confirms that businesses which are operating in accordance with the government’s Covid-Safe guidelines can continue to operate at their current safe capacity, provided that individual parties abide by the Rule of Six: “Accommodation businesses, attractions, performance venues, coach operators, tour guides, pubs and restaurants can all continue as they are provided that they made sure any individual party of visitors complies with the Rule of Six”.
The Tourism Alliance advises:
- Coaches, and other modes of transport, can still operate to their Covid-secure capacity provided that each individual party using the mode of transport complies with the Rule of Six and social distancing remains between each party.
- Once off the mode of transport, each individual party must stay socially distanced and enter any attraction/accommodation as an individual party complying with the Rule of Six.
- A tour guide can still take up to 30 people from the coach, or other method of transport, on a walking tour around a destination – but again the people must stay in their individual groups that comply with the Rule of Six with social distancing between them (and any rules in place at the destination).