THE bus company, Arriva has explained the rules for passengers in County Durham and Darlington as new restrictions come in on Tuesday.

Arriva North East has confirmed passengers will be expected to wear a mask or face covering on its services from tomorrow.

It comes as restrictions including mandatory use of coverings in shops and public transport will come in at 4am amid concerns over the Covid Omicron variant.

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In a statement this afternoon, Arriva said passengers across the region would be required to wear their covering when boarding and for the duration of the journey. 

However, admitting it was unable to enforce the rules, it said drivers would still be reminding and encouraging passengers to wear one.

It said: "Following Government guidance, from 4am on Tuesday, face coverings must be worn by all customers onboard for their entire journey.

"Our drivers will be reminding and encouraging customers to wear a face covering, however they are unable to enforce this - please be supportive."

They added that as per the rules before, those who are exempt will not be required to wear a covering.

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In addition, it urged customers to pay by contactless or use the Arriva UK Bus app, where possible.

Meanwhile, it added that customers paying by cash should try and pay with the exact fare.

 

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