While the coronavirus has taken an enormous toll on transit ridership across the region and country, there are thousands of people locally who continue to rely on public transit every day to reach jobs and make other essential trips.
Our regional transit system is vital to our region — now more than ever.
Transit gets essential workers to work so all of us have access to food, healthcare, and other necessities. It ensures that those unable to drive or without access to a car are able to get to their medical appointments, the pharmacy, the grocery store, and other essential destinations.
Keeping our transit system running frequently and safely for essential trips and essential workers is an economic issue, a health issue, and a racial equity issue.
To help keep transit riders and transit drivers safe, here are some safety tips, originally published on this Active Transportation Alliance blog post, and adjusted for relevance to Tarrant County.
Tips for transit riders:
Wear a face covering such as a mask, scarf, or bandana while taking transit. Keep your distance. At bus stops and train stations, keep a minimum of six feet between you and others. Choose a seat at least six feet from others, if possible. Do not sit in a vacant seat next to someone else. Ideally, leave two to three rows of seats open between you and other riders.
Avoid crowded buses or train cars. This may mean giving yourself more time to wait for a less crowded bus or train to arrive. Trinity Metro, for example, has limited the number of riders to 35 percent of capacity.
Check your bus or train schedules before you travel. Because of lower ridership, Trinity Metro is now operating on a modified Sunday schedule seven days a week. Trinity Metro has installed new barriers to make front-door boarding safer & has resumed fare collection.
Keep your driver or conductor healthy — only interact with them when absolutely necessary.
Limit non-essential touching of handrails, straps, seat backs, and other surfaces.
Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before and after using public transit. Remember not to touch your face.
We have also created a PDF in English and Spanish that you can print out and share.
Join us in the fight for the future of transit! With lower ridership numbers and decreased sales tax, transit funding is facing a crisis. The federal emergency funding that has been awarded so far is a stopgap measure, but we need to rethink the ways we fund transit. Stay tuned for ways to get involved or email rachel@tarranttransitalliance.org with any ideas, questions, or concerns.
For additional COVID-19 related guidelines, news, and potential schedule changes, go to https://ridetrinitymetro.org/
This text based off of the Active Transportation Alliance's post co-authored by Julia Gerasimenko and Maggie Melin.