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Coronavirus: DASH Buses To Limit Number Of Passengers Following Goldstein Investigation

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The number of passengers allowed aboard DASH buses will be limited following a report from CBS2's David Goldstein earlier this week that bus drivers were concerned for their safety because social distancing guidelines were not being enforced.

DASH Buses To Limit Number Of Passengers Following CBSLA Report
Passengers crammed aboard a Los Angeles Department of Transportation DASH bus. April 2020. (CBS2)

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) announced Wednesday that the number of passengers allowed aboard DASH buses will be limited to no more than 12.

Thirty-foot-long buses will only be allowed to carry a maximum of 10 passengers, while 35-foot buses will be restricted to 12. The buses can normally seat about 30.

Earlier this week, scared DASH drivers shared photos with CBS2 of passengers boarding without masks and ignoring social-distancing guidelines. LADOT is not requiring passengers on its buses or trains to wear masks despite the citywide order that they are mandatory for anyone entering an essential business.

"We have to pick them up," one driver said. "They're not standing six feet away. We have some people being coughed on."

DASH buses operate in downtown L.A. and 27 other neighborhoods across the city. DASH has been providing free rides since late March. Normally, fares are 50 cents per ride and 25 cents for seniors and the disabled.

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"LADOT is committed to the safety and protection of transit drivers and users, and will be instituting this policy to ensure that proper social distancing practices are maintained while transit services continue to operate," the department said in a news release Wednesday.

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