At RailAir, your safety is our top priority. In the wake of the evolving impacts of coronavirus, we are working with the Government and wider industry to ensure we are following the latest advice to keep you safe on our coaches.
Following on from Government’s publication of its ‘safer transport’ guidance for bus and coach operators, we have introduced safe capacities across our fleet. These measures have been introduced across our coaches to ensure the safety of our colleagues and customers during Covid19 and can be viewed via the link below.
RailAir 1: Reading to Heathrow – From Saturday 25 July 2020, RailAir 1 will be increasing to operate an hourly timetable, due to the increased demand for travel to and from Heathrow Airport. You can view and download the new timetable below.
RailAir 2: Guildford to Heathrow – The service will be reintroduced with a normal hourly timetable. The stops at Compass Centre will be used as normal bus stops rather than a drop off point.
There are currently no restrictions on passenger type and everyone is welcome on our coaches, as long as they follow government and RailAir guidance, and they are not feeling unwell. Anyone who is suffering from coronavirus symptoms including a persistent cough or high temperature, should not travel, and should follow public health guidelines.
All RailAir services are running but we have made changes to our timetables, to help manage reduced capacity due to the social distancing measures we have in place following Government guidance. Please click here to view and download the latest timetables.
We will be re-introducing our services from Saturday 11 July 2020. You can view the new timetables by clicking here. Due to the uncertainty surrounding demand for air travel, our timetables are likely to change over the coming weeks and months. Please check our website and follow us on Twitter for the latest. The coach service details above on this page will be kept up-to-date; please keep checking this page for updates.
We offer our full support to wheelchair users who want to travel with us. While many of our seats are blocked with signs or tape, our wheelchair spaces remain available. All our buses have a dedicated area for wheelchair users; other passengers are required to give up the space for wheelchair users. Please ask the driver for assistance if you require any help. If the driver needs to leave their cab to provide passenger assistance they will wear a face covering.
If the ramp is required please keep a 2 metre distance whilst the driver puts the ramp in place.
The driver will keep the time they are within 2 metres of you to an absolute minimum.
Wheelchair users have priority over everyone else for the use of the designated wheelchair space, since this is the only place in which they can travel safely. Support for disabled passengers remains the same as before coronavirus, see here for more details ⇒
There will be sufficient capacity on our coaches to allow for social distancing. On our coaches we are operating at a reduced capacity with around 50% of seats being available. Only window seats will be available with the aisle seats out of action.
In the unlikely event that a coach is full, the driver will let you know however you can track available capacity using our First Bus App.
In addition, you will also see further measures in place to help you to adhere to social distancing guidelines. These include:
Seat signs and tape to clearly show where you should/shouldn’t sit to maintain a safe distance
Reminders to be considerate of other passengers
No longer allowing standing
Seat signs will show where you shouldn't sit:
Our drivers will advise customers wherever possible but they cannot enforce social distancing measures.
Please note the seating measures we have introduced are advisory for customers and we will not be asking our drivers to enforce them or leave their cab area, unless operating the manual bus ramp. Our driver will help advise customers when boarding where seats are available.
Only travel by coach if your journey is necessary
Planning your travel in advance, avoiding peak periods
All of our drivers have been provided with face masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and protective cab screens. Please note that our drivers are not required to wear a face covering or mask behind the protective cab screen as this can be distracting. And for drivers who wear glasses there is a risk these can get steamed up while driving.
It is your legal responsibility to wear a face covering when travelling on public transport unless you have an exemption. The driver cannot enforce this but you may be liable to a fixed penalty notice of £100 if you refuse.
Exemptions for the use of face coverings will apply to those with certain health conditions, disabled people and children under the age of 11.
Our coaches are comprehensively cleaned every night by our expert team of cleaners, including regular disinfection of all grab rails and poles, entrance door handles and other touchpoints. We are now also using a long-lasting sanitising treatment (Zoono Z71) on all buses and depots, which kills Coronavirus on surfaces for up to 28 days. It is environmentally-friendly, uses no alcohol or dangerous chemicals, and is scientifically proven to be highly effective against Covid-19.
No, customers should use their own sanitiser and face covering when using our coaches. If you are travelling from Reading Train Station on our RailAir 1 service, there will be hand sanitiser available in the lounge.
Please clearly label your luggage with your destination to help with loading and unloading. Our drivers will be wearing gloves and face masks, when handeling luggage.
There is usually sufficient capacity on our coaches. We expect demand to increase each week and we will therefore adapt our level of service accordingly.
With the latest version of the First Bus App you can now track your bus live on a map and it also displays how many seats are available on each coach.
We also advise that you try to travel before the last service of the day, to avoid the risk of the last service coach being full. We will not be able to run extra coaches after the last service bus.
In the very unlikely case that the last service of the day is full, we advise that you try to travel before the last service of the day, to avoid the risk of the last service bus being full. We will not be able to run extra coaches after the last service, and you may have to arrange alternative transport.
We encourage all of our customers to buy tickets using the First Bus App or to pay by contactless card on board. If you are paying with cash, please try to use the exact fare.
Customer services
You can contact our customer services team via phone on 0345 646 0707 between 7am-7pm Mon-Fri and 9am-5pm on weekends and bank holidays.
For mobile tickets (mTickets) bought in our app, please email our mTicket support team mticket-support@firstgroup.com. Please include the mobile number and email address associated with your mTicket account. Alternatively, please call us on 0330 094 7577. Phone lines for mTicket support are open between 9am and 5pm.
Please be advised that our operators may be busy due to increased volume of enquiries but will do their best to assist you.
Important information and links:
Please visit the NHS website for up to date information on Coronavirus (COVID-19).
At present, our services are still operating and tickets are purchased in line with our Conditions of Travel. However, the latest guidance on ticket status can be viewed on our help and information page here (FAQ section).
