COVID-19 Resources
Introduction
As economic and social activity increase and more people take public transit, many transit systems are looking for advice on how to safely return to service levels that are closer to normal. To help, CUTA has prepared these guidelines and will update them regularly as public health advice evolves. Click here to read more.
Goals
As the economy reopens and more people return to public transit, transit systems need to continue measures that keep employees and passengers safe. These guidelines cover a full range of these measures—from cleaning to avoiding crowding on board to protecting operators. Helping the general public feel safe while taking transit is imperative.
One factor in feeling safe is clearly outlining expected passenger behaviour. It’s said often that we are all in this together, and in few places is that truer than on public transit. We all have a role to play in educating and encouraging appropriate distancing and laying down expectations of how riders can protect themselves and other riders by wearing masks. Active monitoring of compliance is encouraged and, should passenger behaviour not improve sufficiently, additional steps may be necessary.
Facilities and terminals
Physical distancing
- Enact social distancing practices in all employee and passenger areas, including break areas
- Install floor markings indoors and outdoors to support social distancing by passengers and employees
- Use signage to support and encourage social distancing, and other key safety practices such as proper cough and sneeze protocols and handwashing
- Install similar signage at roadside transit stops
- Use security or additional staff to help passengers practice social distancing
- Close customer service counters during periods of no fare collection
- Eliminate photos for concession fare passes during periods of no fare collection
Cleaning and disenfecting surfaces
- Perform enhanced cleaning of facilities at least once per day
- Thoroughly and regularly disinfect high touch areas such as door handles, handrails, and payment kiosks throughout the day
Clean hands
- Provide hand sanitizer for employees at workstations and entry points to employee areas
- Ensure soap dispensers in bathrooms and breakrooms are full and functioning
- Encourage the use of hand washing and hand sanitizer through signs
- Provide hand sanitizer for passengers at station entrances and beside payment kiosks
Masks or face coverings
- Provide facility staff with non-surgical/cloth face masks along with an expectation they will be worn
- Modifications are available to allow effective mask use alongside religious headwear
Employee fitness for duty
- Provide clear guidance to employees to identify when they are unfit to report for work due to virus symptoms
- All employees who have been absent for vacation, illness or family care should complete a risk questionnaire when they return to confirm they can return safely
- Display signs reminding employees of these steps in frequently used employee areas
On board
Cleaning
- Perform enhanced vehicle cleaning daily
- Disinfect high touch areas throughout the day
- Pull buses out of service if passengers are observed to be symptomatic
Operator safety
- Provide all bus operators with non-surgical cloth face masks, face coverings or face shields with expectation to wear other than if a physical driver barrier is available on the vehicle
- Place a physical barrier around the driver
- On vehicles without a physical barrier around the driver, use rear-door boarding and create a zone two metres behind driver as a no passenger zone
- Provide operators of Specialized Transit with additional PPE, including face shields, gloves and clothing coverings in instances where they will be physically assisting passengers
- Provide hand sanitizer for driver use
- Disinfect driver compartment with each change in operator
- There may be cases where local public health officials, drivers, and their unions feel the driver may be sufficiently protected through an enhanced operator PPE program in which case front-door boarding can occur on vehicles
- Suspend fare collection on buses without driver barriers or an enhanced operator PPE plan
Passenger safety masks/face coverings
- Mask use is an important practice to prevent the spread of the virus and passengers are expected to wear them
- Describe mask use as mandatory
- Monitor the use of masks and evaluate programing to support widespread use
- Encourage passengers to bring own sanitizer
- Provide hand sanitizer on vehicles as convenience to passengers if possible to do so safely and without violating social distancing if sanitizer levels can be maintained throughout the day
Capacity on vehicles
- Space between passengers is important for reducing the spread of the virus. It is also an important factor for maintaining passenger confidence that transit is safe
- In the most restrictive conditions, or lockdown, consider maximum loads of 25% of seats and tape off every other seat. For example, on a 40-foot bus, only 10-12 passengers should be on board
- In periods with intermediate restrictions, consider maximum loads of 50% of seats. For example, on a 40-bus, only 20-25 passengers should be on board
- Only when restrictions are lifted completely consider maximum loads of 100%
- Comfort level with loads should be influenced by local conditions. Empower bus operators to gauge these and whether distancing on board is appropriate and suspend boarding if warranted
- In cases where boarding is suspended, change the vehicle’s exterior signage to convey this
Passenger flow on vehicles
- If buses have front door fare collection, establish front door boarding and rear door exiting
- If buses collect fares at both front and rear doors, passengers should enter the closest door and exit the closest door to reduce unnecessary movement through vehicles
- Passengers who require access to mobility options should enter and exit through the most appropriate door for their needs
Resumption of front door boarding if it was suspended
- Driver barriers are expected for most situations on return to front door boarding
- Driver barriers may be temporary plexiglass or vinyl capable of virus control, or permanent OEM physical driver barriers modified for virus control
- There may be cases where local public health officials, drivers, and their unions feel the driver may be sufficiently protected through an enhanced operator PPE program, in which case front-door boarding can occur on vehicles
- Encourage payment of fares through contactless systems
Establish a communications plan
- A clear and concise communications plan is critical
- Clear and transparent messaging regarding safety precautions in place also assures the community that transit is a safe transport choice
- Develop a public communications plan that clearly describes what actions the transit system will and will not take
- Display signage of key safety practices at all points of passenger entry, including facilities, vehicles, transit stops and digital displays
- Display signage with key safety practices at all points of passenger entry as well as on digital transit resources such as websites, schedules, and apps
- Emphasize these expectations with operations, security and other public-facing personnel
- Be prepared to update messaging if circumstances change
- In the event a transit employee tests positive, proactively communicate this publicly after consulting with public health officials
Be seen and heard
- Be visible and transparent in the cleaning and safety protocols your transit system is taking to maintain passenger confidence.
- Create mechanisms to receive driver feedback about passenger comfort levels on cleaning, distance and load expectations
- Survey passengers to further measure comfort levels with cleaning, distance and load expectations
- Leverage high visibility cleaning personnel in facilities and for on route vehicle cleaning
Contact information
McCartney Lee
Coordinator, Communications and Public Relations