Covid-19 Safe Operating Procedures for Holiday Customers (as of 16th June 2021)

Date Added 23/06/2021

We are pleased to advise that we can now seat passengers on every forward-facing seat on our coaches. This recent change follows a risk-based case for the use of every forward-facing seat on coaches that was published by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT). CPT’s document highlights measures that our industry has taken to mitigate virus transmission on coaches. It also notes that aeroplanes and trains that have operated for some time now with no mandated social distancing have experienced almost no evidence of increased transmission risk.

The government in their response to the 1 metre plus social distancing guidance says, “This is not an absolute requirement” on coaches, provided that suitable mitigation measures are in place. We have considerable mitigation procedures in place which are detailed below. We want to ensure that while Covid 19 restrictions are in still place you are still able to fully enjoy your holiday with us and we are of course hopeful of further relaxation of rules as pandemic dangers recede.

The following procedures comply with World Health Organisation guidelines and with the latest government guidelines. The transmission of Coronavirus is primarily through people touching surfaces contaminated by the virus and then transferring that contamination to their mouth, eyes or nose. There is also a possibility of breathing in droplets expelled by another person when in close face to face contact. The key thing is not to be too close to people for more than a short amount of time. When around other people the biggest risk of infection is people in close ‘face to face’ positions.

We have conducted an in-depth risk assessment and can provide assurance and mitigation of these concerns. Our normal front facing seating arrangements avoids ‘face to face’ proximity and the physical barrier of the high-backed seats, plus the use of face coverings, masks or visors and anti-bacterial gel will all help to ensure maximum mitigation of the dangers and maximum safety. Here are further guidelines for your safety;

‘Comfort Stop’ and Coach Cleaning: Our enhanced procedure includes cleaning of all floors, seats and glass surfaces; mopping with disinfectant of all floor surfaces; disinfectant wiping of dash areas, driver controls and handles. It also includes cleaning all handrails, hand grabs, seat belt buckles, armrests and floors. It also includes vehicle anti-viral fogging on a weekly basis.
How do I protect myself and my fellow passengers?

The fundamentals of staying safe are still, that you wash hands frequently, at every opportunity during your holiday; use clean tissues for coughs and sneezes; and try to avoid touching your face - we know it is difficult!

1. Firstly, please be sure that you are well and in good health during the week prior to your holiday. If at any time prior to your holiday, you feel any of the symptoms of Covid: 19, for example, tiredness, cough, high temperature, loss of sense of smell and taste; please contact us immediately so that considerations can be taken and action agreed. We would also encourage you to take a Lateral Flow Test in the three days prior to your holiday. These kits can be easily obtained from the larger testing stations, most pharmacies and through the post if ordered via the GOV.UK website:- (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing/regular-rapid-coronavirus-tests-if-you-do-not-have-symptoms/)
2. When our door-to-door driver arrives at your door, they will be wearing a face mask and will have sanitised hands with anti-bacterial gel prior to handling your luggage. The vehicle will be clean, safe and sanitised and capacity will be reduced to 5 passengers in order to provide for social distancing. Our vehicles have two rows of seating behind the driver and two passengers will be seated on each row. Where 5 passengers are accommodated, one passenger will be seated in the front, next to the passenger door.
3. When you arrive at our premises, you will be assisted by our staff. They will be wearing face masks. Our ‘Comfort Stop’ toilet facilities will be available; please wash your hands of course and maintain 2 metre social distancing whenever possible while using the facilities and while waiting to board.
4. You will be subject to a temperature check prior to boarding and 36.1C (97F) to 37.2C (99F) is the normal range for our bodies. Passengers with a high temperature will tested again and if need be, requested not to travel for the benefit of other passengers and will receive a full refund from us, less an administration charge of £50 per person (this excludes travel insurance premiums as these are non-refundable. Please also note, this provision does not include air tours or cruises).
5. Please wear a face covering when boarding and during the journey, preferably your own, however our driver will also have some spare masks available. Face visors instead of masks are acceptable on our coaches, however hotels may take a different view. So please bring a face covering too. For your comfort you are of course allowed to remove your face covering while eating and drinking on board, otherwise please ensure that your mouth and nose are covered. Please note that the government have laid down exemptions to this rule, therefore you may see passengers not wearing face coverings. If you are concerned about wearing a mask and would like to see details of exemptions, please contact us.
6. You will be asked to board just a few minutes before your departure time, in order to minimise the time that passengers spend on the coach once boarded. Please try to maintain social distancing wherever possible, as you gather and when approaching and speaking with our driver. Our driver will sanitise his hands with anti-bacterial gel prior to and after handling your luggage and/or mobility aids like wheelie walkers and scooters.
7. Our courier will wear a mask or visor and will have anti-bacterial gel available. You will be requested please to sanitise your hands prior to boarding. Please also note that the toilet on board the coach will be available if required and our courier will sanitise it after each use. Also, rest assured that no journey will be longer than 2 hours without a comfort stop.
8. While the courier will need to limit hers or his movement up and down the coach, hot drinks will be available during journeys. All hot drinks are now £1.00 per cup and furthermore, bottled water will also be available again at £1.00 per bottle.
9. As detailed above, we are now seating passengers on every forward-facing seat. Therefore, you may find that you are seated across the aisle from someone who is not in your household or who you are travelling with. Furthermore, the mitigations listed in this document enables us to seat two separate customers on a double seat, provided both customers have had both of their vaccinations. This arrangement will be avoided if possible, however when it does occur, we will contact both customers in advance to check vaccination status and for acceptability. Should you be uncomfortable with this arrangement please contact us immediately, so that we can make alternative arrangements. Passengers who live together in the same household and those who are travelling together, will of course be seated together on a double seat. Please also note, that for the reasons above, your seat number may also have changed from when you originally booked your holiday.
10. Our coach air-conditioning systems have been upgraded to ensure the provision of clean, filtered air. Our driver may also be wearing a face mask while driving.
11. Our driver and courier will advise that upon arrival at the hotel and at attractions they will be exiting first and that once they have left the vehicle then you may safely disembark, starting from the front. Please continue to observe social distancing while waiting to disembark. Obviously, they will maintain a helpful presence but will also try to observe self-distancing requirements.
12. Once at the hotel, you will be required to follow their guidelines throughout your stay. We will ensure that they have carried out and implemented their risk assessment which will be according to accepted industry guidelines and we will communicate their requirements to you in our pre-holiday travel pack letter. Please understand that there may still be restrictions with regard to various public areas i.e., lifts, bars and swimming pools and bedroom facilities like mini-bars, dressing gowns and magazines may be removed.
13. Throughout your holiday, at the hotel and at attractions, please wash your hands even more regularly - and please observe social distancing and use the hand gel that is supplied on board. Each day our driver and courier will wipe and sanitise all touch points on the coach, including all handrails, hand grabs, seat belt buckles, headrests and armrests.
14. Test and Trace: In accordance with this requirement, please understand that we have to provide our attraction providers with a list of the names and telephone numbers of all our customer and drivers who are travelling on each trip, which they are required to keep for a period of 21 days.
15. With regard to the storage and exchange of luggage and such things as lost property, mobility aids etc, this will be carried out with full regard to all social distancing and hygiene requirements.

We appreciate that these precautions and procedures are somewhat onerous, however, and most importantly, we want you to be safe and that you still have a most enjoyable holiday! Should you require any further information or have any specific considerations and requirements then please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

Thank you for your co-operation and for booking with Johnsons.