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:

1. All on-board fare collection and enforcement is suspended.
2. 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.
3. Please wear a face mask when riding and leave the seat next to you empty.
4. 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