Covid-19: Dublin Bus sees ‘modest’ increase in passenger numbers

Dublin Bus has seen a modest increase in passenger numbers over the past week, but it is not being received as a change that gives rise to concern.

The bus service for the capital recorded passenger numbers of 57,700 on Monday and 57,858 on Tuesday, the daily Government briefing on Covid-19 heard.

That represented a 3.5 per cent increase on the three-week average of 55,800 but is still considered to be very low.

Dublin Bus has blocked off seats on every bus to ensure that the two-metre social distancing rule is observed.

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The passenger volumes represents about 15 per cent of numbers carried by Dublin Bus before the pandemic.

It provided more than 138 million passenger journeys in 2019, or an average of 378,000 each day.

The briefing also heard that 50,400 companies have now received the temporary wage subsidy which has a cumulative value of €56.2 million. More than 400,000 employees have received at least one payment.

The briefing was delivered by Liz Canavan from the Department of an Taoiseach. She disclosed the results of an Amárach survey of over 1,000 respondents commissioned by Government in the past week, which showed a high level of compliance with new social rules.

Some 89 per cent said they were staying at home and 94 per cent said they were washing their hands more regularly. Nine out of ten people said they were observing social distancing when standing in queues while 78 per cent said they now coughed or sneezed into their elbows.

The Government has also been receiving reports from local authorities that there has been an increase in illegal dumping since restrictions were put in place. The Department of Housing and Local Government has launched a national radio advertisement campaign to raise awareness on this issue.

There are also concerns in relation to people staying in direct provision. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre guidance for homeless provision is being applied to direct accommodation and other measures put in place to ensure that asylum seekers can socially distance.