Submitted by: Marc Perla, Keolis Transit, General Manager
                           Don Johnson, MV Transit, General Manager

We are thankful for all RTC bus operators – and all of our front-line team members – for continuing the essential work of providing transportation to people who depend on it.  As everyone adjusts to new ways of living, working and moving in response to the coronavirus crisis, the city’s public transit system is adapting as well.  The RTC and its contract service partners Keolis and MV Transportation have made adjustments to support public transit needs that include public health guidelines regarding social distancing, and we have implemented enhanced standards to protect our passengers and our bus operators. 

In the early days of the outbreak, we implemented enhanced daily cleaning of buses and paratransit vehicles with Centers for Disease Control (CDC)-compliant, hospital-grade disinfectants that have been proven to be effective against viruses like COVID-19.  This process includes cleaning seats, seatbelts, seat frames, stanchions, doors, bus interior surfaces, wheelchair lifts and controls, floors and the entire driver’s area, including the instrument panel.  Similarly, we are cleaning our operational facilities daily, with multiple cleaning of high-touch areas.

We provide our drivers and support staff with personal protection equipment (PPE) including gloves, hand sanitizer and germicidal wipes, and face coverings.  While these items are in critical short supply, both Keolis and MV Transportation are large national companies and, along with the RTC, we have been able to successfully source these items from our respective suppliers. For added safety, we are further limiting possible exposure for our drivers with social distance practices such as regular use of driver safety doors and implementation of rear-door entry bus access.

 As RTC contractors, we are committed to providing safe and reliable transportation for our passengers and our operators during this unique and challenging time.  The Governor has recommended that the safest thing we can all do to “flatten the curve” is to stay at home. However, we know that essential workers, first responders, healthcare professionals and the community at large needs safe and reliable transportation to get to where they need to go. We are dedicated to ensuring that public transit is the safest alternative.