This week in transit: "It is helping prevent the collapse of civilization"

TAKE ACTION

Studio Two Three needs help making masks for essential workers—including bus operators. You can lend a hand by donating money to support mask making, volunteering for a mask-making shift at Studio Two Three, donating supplies (thread, Clorox wipes, medical gloves, and hand sanitizer), or even making masks at home.

AROUND THE REGION

GRTC announced its first service cuts as a result of COVID-19. Beginning this past Wednesday, most express routes have fewer runs and the #28x White Oak Village is suspended until further notice. The #95x Petersburg will continue its normal schedule for now. If cuts are necessary, cutting express routes is the right place to start as many typical express riders are now working from home. GRTC will use the buses and operators freed up by these cuts to increase the frequency on the region's high-ridership routes—the #1A, #2ABC, #3BC, and the Pulse. Increased frequency means more buses on each of these routes, which means more space for folks to keep a safe distance from one another while riding.

On April 6th, GRTC announced that an employee tested positive for COVID-19. From the release: "The GRTC employee is recovering well at home on paid sick leave. The employee has not been in GRTC facilities or vehicles since Friday, March 27th. GRTC is confident the risk of exposure to its customers and frontline staff is negligible because the case was contained early."

Wyatt Gordon has a letter to the editor in the Village News about the importance of GRTC's new Route #111—especial during times of crisis.

ELSEWHERE

This piece in the New York Times paints a dark picture for transit after we emerge from the immediate coronavirus crisis: "The same essential workers riding transit now — grocery store clerks, home health aides, hospital cafeteria workers, cleaning staff — will still need transit in the future. And so what is likely to happen to transit will be a long second blow to the people currently bearing the brunt of the coronavirus crisis."

Public transit planner Jarrett Walker has a great piece in Citylab about the importance of public transit. This quote, in particular, is excellent and true: "The goal of transit, right now, is not competing for riders nor providing a social service. It is helping prevent the collapse of civilization."

—Ross Catrow

This week in transit: Volunteer to make masks for GRTC

TAKE ACTION

As COVID-19 continues to impact our friends, families, routines, and the economy, GRTC continues to provide critical bus service to essential workers in the Richmond region. You can check on the GRTC system status and read about any policy updates over on their website.

Important note: Please only take the bus for essential trips!

GRTC is only able to provide this critical service to our region’s front-line workers because of its amazing operators, and those operators need to be protected from the coronavirus as much as possible—that’s why GRTC has suspended fare collection and implemented rear-door-only boarding on all buses. Additionally, the bus company wants to provide every operator and essential employee with two masks and “free masks for anyone who needs special assistance from operators to board and ride.” This is a fantastic idea, and one that you can help with!

If you’d like to make masks for GRTC, please check out the RVA Masks 4 Health Facebook group for tons of resources to get you started.

AROUND THE REGION

GRTC has also placed a recurring bulk order of hand sanitizer with Scott’s Addition-based Reservoir Distillery. This will help keep operators and GRTC staff safe during this crisis. Here’s what a huge drum of hand sanitizer looks like.

—Ross Catrow