a.

Wearing of personal protective equipment (masks, gloves, etc.) by transport workers.

b.

Reducing, where feasible, the density of passengers in collective means of transport and in waiting areas (the operation of such lower capacity services could be adequately supported to maintain viability, e.g. through temporary public service obligations in line with the applicable EU rules (13)).

c.

Maintaining or adding protective barriers in hubs and vehicles (e.g. around drivers, at ticket stands or controls).

d.

Setting up dedicated lanes or otherwise separating different passenger flows at transport hubs (i.e. ports, airports, train stations, bus stops, ferry landings, urban public transport hubs, etc.).

e.

Hubs should remove facilities that encourage crowding (e.g. benches, tables) or, at least, re-arrange them to ensure adequate distancing.

f.

Clearly displaying accessible information on recommended behaviour (e.g. frequent hand washing or sanitising, keeping adequate distance) and on the specific measures in place in that particular transport hub or transport mode.

g.

Adequate measures at boarding and at security checks (e.g. passengers not entering or leaving buses by the front door, opening of doors by default, disinfection of trays) and other measures that help to minimise contact (e.g. on short ferry routes staying in the car or truck could be allowed if overall safety can be sufficiently ensured).

h.

The transport of persons with disabilities and reduced mobility as well as elderly should be given priority. Transport workers who, in line with the EU rules on passenger rights, provide assistance to persons with disabilities and reduced mobility as well as elderly, should be provided with the necessary personal protective equipment.

a.

At least during the initial relaxation of restrictions, the number of passengers may need to be reduced on vehicles in certain transport modes to ensure that any applicable physical distancing requirements are adequately observed.

b.

Voluntary use of contact tracing apps should be considered as an additional layer of risk mitigation.

c.

Transport workers should be equipped with PPE and, where possible, separated with barriers from passengers.

d.

Frequent cleaning and disinfection of hubs and vehicles, and increased frequency of waste collection.

e.

Systematic installing of hand-sanitising stations and requiring their use whenever feasible.

f.

Strengthening ventilation, air filtering and, where appropriate, prioritising use of natural air.

g.

The wearing of masks by passengers, especially where distancing measures cannot be fully observed at all times.

h.

Tickets and information should be provided electronically and automatically. Electronic pre-sales of tickets should be strongly promoted and prioritised, as well as advanced check-in, reservation and registration procedures.

i.

Check-in, loading and unloading of luggage should be organised so that crowding of passengers is avoided.

j.

Pre-ordering of on-board services and meals should be, where possible, facilitated at the time of booking, to reduce contact between staff and passengers.

k.

Accessible information on implemented safe behaviour procedures, as well as required protective equipment for passengers, should be prominently displayed at hubs and in vehicles, and made available in advance of any travel.

a.

Strengthening ventilation, hospital grade air filtering and vertical airflow.

b.

Limiting contamination risks along the travel process (e.g. avoiding concentration of passengers, limiting interaction on board, exploring the most appropriate allocation of seats based on technical constraints, and prioritising electronic documents and means of payment).

c.

Reducing movement in the cabin (e.g. less cabin baggage, fewer interactions with the crew).

d.

Adequately managing passenger flows (e.g. advise on early arrival time at the airport; prioritising electronic/self-check-in; ensuring distancing and minimising contacts at baggage drop-offs, security and border control points, at boarding, and during baggage collection); accessible information on airport processes should be provided to passengers in advance of travel.

a.

Distancing obligations should be applied on trains where needed, in particular as long as passenger numbers are relatively low. To enable distancing, frequency and capacity of trains should be increased if necessary to reduce passenger density.

b.

Rail operators should implement mandatory seat reservations on long-distance and regional trains, with identification of name/origin and destination of passengers. Alternatively, and especially for short-distance trains, passengers should be required to leave seats empty between them, except for passengers from the same household.

c.

Rail operators should make use of on-board passenger counting systems especially available for commuter and suburban trains (based on weight, footsteps in the door areas, and also CCTV counting algorithms which do not allow for identification of individuals) to manage capacity. The timetabling and path allocation may need flexible adjustments, including optimising capacity in a coordinated manner to reflect demand and the need to reduce passenger density.

d.

Passenger flow management should be implemented at stations. Where adequate levels of public health cannot be ensured, the closing of certain stops or stations should be considered.

e.

Off-peak hour travel should be encouraged with incentives, such as adjusted pricing, or flexible woring hours in the case of commuter trains, to avoid crowding.

f.

To avoid that passengers have to touch door handles or buttons, doors should be opened at each stop either automatically or remotely by the driver.

a.

Ensure distancing requirements can be observed on vessels, including by reducing the number of allowed passengers.

b.

Limit access to (dis)embarkation quays to passengers with tickets; assign seats to passengers.

c.

Ports should consider dedicated lanes to separate entry and exit of passengers.

d.

When conditions allow for it, move as many passengers as possible to open spaces of the vessel.

e.

In case passengers are recommended or requested to remain in their vehicles on board ferries during short voyages (e.g. less than one hour), such a measure should apply on open decks only, unless additional safety precautions are taken in line with applicable EU rules. Where needed, capacity of decks should be adjusted to ensure safety and personnel trained in fire suppression should be present.

f.

Cleaning and disinfection of vessels and onshore facilities should follow the ‘Suggested procedures’ (21) of the EU Healthy Gateways Joint Action.

g.

Cruise ships and, where relevant, ferries should develop dedicated protocols for cleaning and hygiene that minimise the risk of cross-contamination between passenger cabins.

h.

Protocols should be developed between ship operators and onshore facilities for persons with a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection, including measures before, during and after the voyage. For this purpose, health screening procedures should be available, rooms for quarantine provided and adequate interaction with the person in quarantine organised.

i.

Cruise ships should have adequate testing capacity for COVID-19 on board, to be used when a passenger or crew member is suspected of being infected.

a.

Requiring safe minimum distancing, for instance, making use of stickers or floor markings to guide passengers in vehicles to keep a safe distance.

b.

Contacts between drivers and passengers should be minimised (e.g. by using barriers, closing front door entrances, promoting electronic tickets and payment methods)

c.

Increasing and adapting operational frequency, as well as readjusting lines, to allow safe minimum distancing when passenger numbers increase and to better serve some destinations (e.g. where demand is particularly high).

d.

To avoid that passengers have to touch door handles or buttons, doors should be opened at each stop either automatically or remotely by the driver.

e.

Optimising passenger flows at stations and transport hubs to avoid crowding and peak hours, and to minimise contacts, through the use of innovative technologies and mobile applications (e.g. predicting density and crowds, installing passenger counters at doors with a maximum limit, organising travel time slots by appointment, etc.), and allowing flexibility in work hours.