London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 01, 2025

London leads the way as more cities make masks compulsory on transport

London leads the way as more cities make masks compulsory on transport

Cities across England have joined London in making masks compulsory on transport services after Freedom Day in a revolt against Boris Johnson.

It comes after London Mayor Sadiq Khan confirmed face coverings will remain mandatory on the capital’s transport services after July 19, despite the prime minister’s decision to drop the legal requirement in England.

Mayors across England have hit out against the government’s decision and joined the capital in keeping mask wearing compulsory in areas of local transport under their control.

Regions includes:

* Greater Manchester
* Liverpool City Region
* West of England
* North of Tyne
* South Yorkshire
* West Yorkshire

From Monday, face coverings will become a condition of carriage on the London Underground, trains and buses, Greater Manchester Metrolink trams and Tyne and Wear Metro.

They must also be worn in bus stations in West and South Yorkshire.

But mayors warned that without a continued national mandate there would be a “ridiculous mismatch” of rules across the country that will be “confusing” for passengers when measures are eased on Monday.

For example, masks will not be mandatory on local buses or mainline trains because the leaders do not have control over them.

One exception is London, where bus passengers will be required to wear coverings since TfL is overseen by the city’s mayor.

Mr Johnson has faced calls to stage a U-turn over the decision, with transport secretary Grant Shapps backing Mr Khan.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said mayors wanted to see a “return to a more normal life” but this needed to be done “safely”, with masks helping to protect people in enclosed environments.

South Yorkshire Mayor Dan Jarvis chimed: “The mixed messages from the government risks making public transport a no-go area , both for the vulnerable and for our young people who haven’t yet had both vaccinations.”

What are others doing?


In Wales, face masks will remain a legal requirement on public transport partially to reassure those who are clinically vulnerable.

First Minister Mark Drakeford announced the decision which also applies to care settings and indoor public places in Wales.

Coronavirus restrictions are set to ease in Scotland when the country moves to level zero but mandatory face masks will remain for some time.

Other European countries including France, Spain, Italy and Portugal, are also continuing to mandate compulsory face coverings on public transport.

Conditions of Carriage


Conditions of carriage are contractual conditions between passengers and transport services, which include not consuming alcohol which is also enforced by a byelaw.

The new condition of carriage requires passengers to continue wearing a face covering in stations and for the duration of their journey unless they are exempt.

Passengers not wearing a face covering and not exempt will be refused entry.

TfL is considering amending the existing byelaws for face coverings but this would have taken significant time and may have resulted in a gap between national regulations ending and TfL requirements beginning.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×