TfL can issue a £200 fine for the first offence By Local Democracy Reporter Joe Talora
Wearing a mask on public transport became mandatory again on 30th November
Almost 1,500 Londoners have been fined for not wearing a mask on public transport since the end of November, TfL has confirmed.
As of 3rd January, TfL enforcement officers have issued fined 1,450 people for refusing to wear a face covering, with offenders liable to pay £200 for a first offence.
Face coverings on public transport once again became mandatory on 30th November due to the spread of the Omicron variant.
In the same period, TfL has also turned away 2,000 maskless people trying to board services.
TfL compliance and security director Siwan Hayward said that “the vast majority of people have been doing the right thing” but that TfL “will continue to monitor” and “will take action as necessary to ensure that our customers and staff remain safe”.
Enforcement officers have made more than 40,000 “customer interventions” since November, whereby passengers are stopped and asked to wear a mask before boarding a service or entering a station.
In the months leading up to the introduction of Plan B measures TfL reported a fall in compliance with mask rules, but just 220 people were prevented from boarding services for failing to wear a mask between July and September 2021.
The 500-strong team of enforcement officers patrolling London’s transport network is now once again supported by officers from the British Transport Police following the reintroduction of mandatory mask wearing in November.
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