The COVID-19 pandemic introduced huge challenges in the public transport sector, with the almost immediate and complete closure of public transport systems as the most striking short-term effect. While countries are gradually seeing the effects of their various measures in an attempt to “flatten the curve”, governments and public transport authorities and operators are beginning to consider post-crown society and the long-term effects that will occur as a result of these unprecedented events.
Social distancing is currently a critical element of our lives, at least until a vaccine against COVID-19 is available, which therefore poses enormous challenges for public transport operators who, without prior knowledge of the capacity and employment that rail services will have to accommodate, are unable to ensure a safe distance between passengers unless drastic choices are made about the management of the routes.
It therefore seems inevitable to move to a more restrictive logic based on reservations, reserved seats and a precise sanitation plan to avoid overloading the public transport system during peak hours.
For this reason Trenitalia has started to use a new criterion for booking seats on board the Frecce, reducing the number of seats sold on each journey, thus accommodating each traveller at an appropriate distance from any other passenger while maintaining the comfort offered to travellers.
This is announced in a statement by Trenitalia. “The new booking criterion is a further action, after those already started by FS Italiane Group to protect travellers and employees”. These include the strengthening of sanitation and disinfection activities in trains and workplaces, “reducing the time intervals between one cleaning session and the next”, the installation on board trains of hand disinfectant dispensers, the establishment of a task force to constantly monitor the evolution of the situation and ensure the coordination of all the interventions provided for by government measures on the subject.
Gesa Industry, in turn, is committed to the battle against Covid-19 by taking every possible measure to ensure the health of its employees and maintain full contact with customers to ensure the right support and efficient assistance at all times.
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