Mask wearing will remain compulsory on the tube and other London transport services after next Monday, Transport for London is to announce, as national rail and bus operators in England said they would only request passengers follow government guidance. Unions and bus industry bodies attacked the government for its confused messaging over the changes from 19 July, when face coverings will no longer be mandatory, saying the changed rhetoric had left operators unable to plan and could put staff and services at risk. Airlines have already indicated that they will continue to demand passengers wear masks, and cross-Channel train service Eurostar has now said it will make mask-wearing a condition of carriage, from check-in at London St Pancras station. The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has said he wants masks to remain, and the TfL commissioner, Andy Byford, is set to make wearing a mask a condition of carriage on the underground, bus and rail. He added: “I’m sure Londoners will continue to do the right thing as they have done throughout the pandemic, and continue to wear a face covering on TfL services.” While unions want face coverings to remain, they have argued that staff cannot ensure compliance without police intervention, and warned of the potential for disruption. The London policy can only be enforced by refusing entry or service rather than fines or prosecution after 19 July. Other train operators will ask passengers to wear a mask only when trains are busy. A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents the industry, said: “Passengers should follow the government guidance and, out of respect for others, wear face coverings if an indoor setting is busy. Train travel is low risk, with the majority of carriages well ventilated by air conditioning systems or by doors and windows.” Privately, operators have said that a cross-industry policy is essential to avoid passenger confusion. However, the safety risk is understood to be considerably different in various settings, such as long-distance carriages or commuter trains with wider doors and windows. The potential for confusion was underlined as the Scottish government announced that mask-wearing would remain compulsory in indoor settings after 19 July. Operator Avanti, which runs trains between London and Scotland and Wales, will make announcements at the last stations in England informing passengers that masks will be mandatory for the rest of the journey. Mask-free carriages, along the lines of quiet carriages, have been proposed, according to some industry sources, but dismissed as impracticable. A spokesperson for the Confederation of Passenger Transport, representing bus operators outside London, confirmed that they would not require passengers to wear masks, but added: “We think it’s a confused message. The government said they would publish further guidance which hasn’t come out yet which is making it harder for operators to plan. There’s been a stark change in tone. “The role of government is to follow the science and either to say they have a role in all enclosed public spaces or not. They should not be introducing guidance that puts the onus on operators and millions of individuals to make a decision.” The rail safety advisory body RSSB has said train travel is safe and the risk from Covid is “tolerably low”. Its director, Ali Chegini, said: “Face coverings do reduce the risk of viral transmission, and so using them on public transport, particularly when crowded, is very sensible, regardless of whether this is recommended as good practice, or a legal requirement.”