Transit Buses in Service
The wheels on the bus must keep going… as public transit is an absolutely vital part of the St. Joseph community. Transit service is always important, but during emergency situations, public transportation is a “thin line” for many people to continue to function and access healthcare, medicine, groceries and employment during the COVID-19 pandemic. While public transportation is important, providing service using methods that protect the health of riders is equally important. The following are some examples of steps St. Joseph Transit is engaged in and recommendations relative to rider behavior that are being suggested:
- Daily cleaning the administration building where the dispatch, supervisors and maintenance workers operate every morning.
- Employees have cleaning supplies to clean during the day in their work area.
- The 6th Street and Angelique Street facilities are being cleaned deeply once per day and follow-up cleaning two more times per day including benches, doors and vending machines.
- Every bus is being cleaned deeply once per day and every hour staff is doing their best to wipe down/spray all surfaces that riders touch.
- Hostler cleans the buses with the sprayer at night. This helps to deep clean each bus daily.
- Hostler cleans the building with the sprayer every night.
While buses and facilities are being well cleaned on a constant basis, rider utilization continues to evolve during the pandemic as well. Not surprisingly, with the shelter in place order in effect, all residents in St. Joseph are leaving the home for only the necessities. This translates to lower traffic throughout the community as well as public transit.
To both preserve important service availability, but be responsive to staffing and public needs, service changes may be made at various intervals to reflect current demands and situations. This may be represented in changes to some fixed routes in favor of zone service and other examples. Should such changes become necessary, St. Joseph Transit will issue news releases and inform its riders of the changes to alleviate confusion and maintain reliable service.
With these steps being taken, St. Joseph Transit is confident that it can provide a safe ride to those that need transportation during this time. The staff of St. Joseph Transit encourages customers to always follow the social distancing rule and try to keep 6 feet between passengers. Customers are encouraged to wash hands often with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds, use hand sanitizer when possible, and cover their mouth when coughing or sneezing. When waiting for the bus, please give each other space and avoid being around more than ten people at a time.
By taking these precautions the community can join with staff of
The Ride
to keep the buses rolling.
