Transit agencies around the country are committed to providing essential services to their riders while ensuring the highest level of safety for all as they continue to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We talked to several of our customers that have continued to offer service to their communities about how they’re approaching mobility during a time of crisis.
- INNOVATIVE SAFETY MEASURES | Organizations are following the lead of the World Health Organization’s direction on how best to keep their buses and shuttles clean, with many going above and beyond by:
- Utilizing a different vehicle for each driver’s shift
- Asking passengers to use backdoors (when possible) to get onto the vehicles
- Roping off seats behind the bus driver
- COMMUNICATION | Some organizations have recognized that communication is a key component to ensuring rider and employee safety during this ever-changing event. They are keeping their riders abreast of all of the efforts that are being made to keep them healthy through email, social media, and content on the buses.
- SHARED RESPONSIBILITY | Passengers are doing their part to keep themselves and other riders safe by practicing social distancing when seated on the bus (~6 feet apart), regularly sanitizing their hands, and staying home when they aren’t feeling well. Providers are encouraging their riders to join in the effort of keeping everyone healthy.
- PARTNERSHIP | In some cases, transit providers have been contacted by local nonprofits to help with providing courier services of delivering food to the elderly and immunocompromised.
- FLEXIBILITY & INNOVATION | For many, routes are being temporarily modified or suspended to mirror the direction given by local and state governments. Organizations are remaining flexible and making changes where necessary while considering innovative transit solutions, like an on-demand offering, to provide service where existing fixed-routes are being cut.
Has your agency implemented a response to COVID-19 that isn’t listed above? We’d love to hear about it.