'No Plans To Shut Down': Metro Says No Reported COVID-19 Cases On MTA Buses, Trains
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - Transit officials across the Southland are warning riders of looming changes to bus and rail services as they contend with the spread of coronavirus.
Metro CEO Phillip A. Washington held a media briefing Friday to announce there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 linked to or contracted on an MTA bus or train, and no known cases reported among the agency's nearly 11,000 employees.
Washington said while trains and buses will continue to run, Metro will be making several operating changes, including providing masks and gloves to operators, custodial teams and security personnel.
Sanitation stations and hand sanitizer dispensers will also be installed at all major transit hubs for riders to use, and possibly at some point they will installed on board vehicles.
"We have no plans to shut down public transit," said Washington. "We are operating with caution, but not from a position of fear. We will get through this together."
Metro will also begin running a "mix of weekday and weekend service schedules" to adjust to the needs of its ridership.
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) also announced similar measures beginning March 23 after seeing a more than 50 percent drop in ridership over the past two weeks.
Officials said there were 61,000 boardings on March 18, compared to a typical average weekday of 125,000.
In response, OCTA will reduce bus service to the Sunday service schedule - which is about 40 percent of the typical amount of weekday bus service - seven days a week.
For more info, visit the OCTA website.
