Here’s what the Whatcom bus agency is doing to keep riders safer from COVID-19
Whatcom Transportation Authority officials are reassuring riders that it’s paying closer attention to cleaning its buses in the wake of the new coronavirus outbreak.
“We’re taking our cues regarding COVID-19 from the (Whatcom County Health Department),” the agency tweeted Wednesday, March 5. “We’re also taking extra measures each night to disinfect and sanitize our buses, paying special attention to all the surfaces people touch with their hands.”
WTA saw about 4.8 million boardings in 2018 between its regular bus service, paratransit, zone, and vanpool, according to agency records.
“The employees tasked with washing bus exteriors and cleaning interiors every night are focusing less attention on bus exteriors in order to give each bus interior a thorough treatment with this product every night,” said Maureen McCarthy, WTA spokeswoman. “They’re focusing on all surfaces riders touch throughout the day. We’re also using a disinfectant on the bus floors.”
WTA has a Pandemic Preparedness Plan that is being updated for COVID-19, McCarthy wrote in an email.
She said the plan was also used during the MERS, SARS and H1N1 flu outbreaks.
McCarthy wrote that WTA is preparing for the possibility of having to reduce service if the situation worsens.
“WTA doesn’t anticipate having to reduce service at this point, but the plan defines thresholds that could trigger that. We hope for many reasons we won’t have to reduce service,” she wrote.
