Today, 23 May 2020, the Secretary of State for Transport, Rt Hon Grant Schapps announced that national charity Volunteering Matters will coordinate a volunteer response programme – Journey Makers – to help keep people safe using transport networks as lockdown restrictions are eased.
Volunteers, called Journey Makers, will be offering guidance, providing friendly advice, reminding passengers about social distancing measures, preventing overcrowding and helping vulnerable passengers on their journeys.
The scheme, which has been commissioned by the Department for Transport, will match local requirements with voluntary organisations that have the skills, resource and experience to support the Journey Maker scheme and recruit Journey Makers in their area.
The Secretary of State for Transport, Rt Hon Grant Schapps said:
“We’re managing the transport network to make it as safe as possible. This week we deployed 3,400 individuals from the British Transport Police, Network Rail and Transport for London. These marshals worked with the public to help prevent services from becoming overcrowded.
From June 1st at the earliest – as we move to Phase 2 of the unlock – we will deploy over a thousand more with the assistance of charity Volunteering Matters.”
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