A City Ride bus driver on the first day of mandatory face masks on buses. Photo / Andrew Warner
A City Ride bus driver on the first day of mandatory face masks on buses. Photo / Andrew Warner
Mask wearing is now required on public transport around New Zealand but not all Bay of Plenty passengers have got the message yet.
The new rule to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in alert level 2 and above came into effect nationwide today.
There are exceptions including on dedicated schoolbuses, children under 12 and people with a medical condition, such as asthma, that prevents them from wearing a mask safely.
At bus stops in the Bay of Plenty visited by the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post this morning, all drivers and most passengers were prepared for the rule change but there were some outliers.
In Farm St, Mount Maunganui, a woman without a mask said she had "no idea" about the new rule.
"I didn't know anything about it until I overheard you just now."
A City Ride bus driver in Rotorua said some passengers had claimed not to know about the rule.
"I've had a couple of people who said they didn't know but I still let them on and I have a few spare masks here. I feel safer with people wearing them, especially if they're from Auckland."
Most passengers spoken to said they were still getting used to their masks.
Masked bus passengers at a bus stop in Farm St on Monday morning. Photo / George Novak
Marie Woodward in Farm St - wearing a mask bought from Cure Kids featuring a jolly red "nose" - said the experience was a "bit strange".
"I don't really want to, but you do what you have to do."
At the same stop, Herbreet Kaur - who was on her way into the city centre in a blue medical mask - said the new rule was "really good for our health".
At a stop in Arawa St Rotorua resident Brandon Belk, sporting a custom knitted face mask purchased off Facebook, said he was getting used to it.
"It's a matter of where you'll be and how many diseases are in the air, how many people are sick or unwell. Wearing a mask is good, even for things like the cold, there are other viruses around so why not?"
Covette Willacy-Scott in Rotorua said she was happy to wear a mask.
"I get the bus every day to work and I've been wearing one anyway. I think [it being mandatory] is good because heaps of people who are sick are still coming into town and still using public transport.
"It makes you feel safer, I'm happy to wear it. Before it was made mandatory a lot of people were wearing masks anyway."
Rotorua's Corvette Willacy-Scott says she was wearing a mask on public transport before it was made mandatory. Photo / Andrew Warner
A spokesman for the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, which manages bus operations in the area, said there had been no reported incidents today related to masks on buses.
Drivers were not expected to act as enforcement officers for the new rules.
Tauranga-based First Union organiser Graham McKean, who represents bus drivers with companies in Tauranga and Rotorua, said some drivers were nervous about the new rule.
"I have had a lot of concern from drivers around them being placed in an unenviable position."
He said drivers were following guidelines from Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency and there was "no onus" on bus drivers to enforce the new rule themselves.
The agency has advised drivers they are not expected to assume the role of an enforcement officer or refuse boarding to people without face coverings, but they can still help passengers do the right thing by asking if they have a mask.
Rotorua's Brandon Belk says mandatory masks on public transport are a good idea. Photo / Andrew Warner
"Passengers and staff should not call police if someone is not wearing a face covering. As per normal procedures, if the situation is dangerous or a passenger is displaying threatening behaviour, for example, public transport staff should take action as per their normal everyday procedures, which may involve contacting their depot or calling the police."
Both police and public transport operators had a stock of masks they could distribute where needed.
Police assistant commissioner Richard Chambers said police would be taking an educational approach on patrols, reminding people of the rules.
"We recognise this requirement is something new for many Kiwis and it's something people may not have been used to doing previously."
