Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, on 6 May had announced that public transport and commuting will resume in a phased manner, and related guidelines will be issued relating to it closer to the end of the lockdown phase. With areas in cities, towns and districts classified into green, orange and red zones in terms of the rate of infection prevailing in the respective area, public transport will ply accordingly.
Areas that fall under the green zone category will be allowed access to public transport, while red zones may continue to be inaccessible, or with stricter restrictions on the movement of people, for some time. India's Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan also said the guidelines would be useful in the management of traffic, but people would have to develop a new normal post the COVID-19 phase by setting new and better standards and quality of life.
After nearly two months on 19 May, the New Delhi saw the movement of buses, taxis and autorickshaws resuming services with rules of physical distancing still in place, along with other safety measures including the mandatory wearing of face covers or masks. This was after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a relaxation in the restrictions in the Capital. Only 20 passengers were to be allowed to travel in the buses for the time being, while maxi cabs could seat five and smaller buses—RTVs—could seat 11.
On 11 May, the United Kingdom also announced there wouldn't be an immediate relief from the lockdown restrictions in the country that has been severely affected by COVID-19, with over 2.9 lakh people affected and around 50,000 having succumbed to the disease.
The new set of guidelines for the UK also included public transport, with all forms of transit including buses, trains and underground railway services ordered to maintain social distancing rules, which would have a severe impact on the number of passengers they would be able to take in, which is set to drop by as much as 90%. India's rules on public transport are along similar lines—given this, a vast number of employees may be asked to continue working from home to reduce the load on the country’s public transport system.
In addition to following social/physical distancing rules, states are also expected to hike public transport fares for buses, metros and trains, when they resume full service. Guidelines from the transport department during the lockdown included the continuation of the transport of goods vehicles around the country to avoid shortages of supplies.