The deficiencies in our region's bus network have a disparate impact on communities of color.
GRTC suspends bus service, plans to resume service on Monday
AROUND THE REGION
After Friday night's protest in downtown Richmond, GRTC suspended evening bus service on Saturday and all bus service on Sunday. This does include CARE service. Friday night's protest resulted in one Pulse bus destroyed, but no operators or passengers were injured. GRTC CEO Julie Timm had this to say:
"The safety of our staff and passengers is the most important factor in determining service levels. We can replace property, but we can’t replace people. I also believe it is important for GRTC to make space for people to protest this weekend without endangering our GRTC Family members. We are closely monitoring this evolving situation in Richmond and will only provide service when we determine it is safe.”
Marc Cheatham took some pictures of the destroyed Pulse bus on Saturday morning.
Should GRTC resume bus service on Monday, as per the Governor's Executive Order masks will be required to ride. Remember: Please only use the bus for essential trips, and make sure to check either the GRTC website or their twitter account for up-to-date service announcements.
—Ross Catrow
This week in transit: Phase One still means essential bus trips only!
TAKE ACTION
As parts of the region move into Phase One of coronavirus recovery, more and more essential employees and other folks will head back to work on the bus. If you're planning to get back on the bus in the near term, please remember the following guidelines from GRTC:
- All on-board fare collection and enforcement is suspended.
- Enter and exit using the rear doors only, and sit behind the accessibility-reserved seating area. Only passengers needing the boarding ramp or operator assistance may use the front doors.
- Please wear a face mask when riding and leave the seat next to you empty.
- And, most importantly, please eliminate all non-essential trips, and follow all health precautions and social distancing guidelines.
Also, keep an eye on the Governor's Forward Virginia page for those health and social distancing guidelines.
AROUND THE REGION
Several weeks ago, GRTC began conducting ongoing, voluntary COVID-19 testing among their staff and bus operators. Since then, they've had five confirmed cases of the virus, with one operator hospitalized. You can read about each case and GRTC's response over on their website.
ELSEWHERE
Portland State University has an interesting study about who's impacted when transit agencies get rid of on-bus cash payments. They found older folks may not have access to smartphones, some riders may be unbanked, and a significant number of people "rely on WiFi as their sole source of internet connectivity." Each of those things makes paying without cash much less convenient. Turns out, it takes a lot of (expensive) infrastructure to equitably remove cash payments from an entire transit system. Sometimes—and possibly in Richmond—going fare-free instead of cash-free might actually be less expensive and more equitable.
—Ross Catrow