Cincinnati Metro resumed fare collection April 12 on its bus and paratransit service, Access, following board approval from the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) and at the request of the city of Cincinnati.
SORTA says this decision was made in the interest of public safety following the concern that free fare may be encouraging individuals to violate the stay-at-home orders issued by the state and subsequently creating a more dangerous situation for customers, operators and the community at large with crowding on-board buses.
To safely facilitate this request, SORTA is installing protective plexiglass barriers between the driver area and the farebox to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The yellow six-foot divider behind the driver’s area will also be removed, making more space available for customers to maintain social distancing onboard. Riders should continue exiting via the rear door of the bus. Customers are urged to ride for essential trips only.
“This decision was not made lightly, but ultimately it was determined to be the best decision for the health and safety of our community,” said Darryl Haley, SORTA CEO and general manager. “We are implementing additional safety measures on-board to allow customers who are riding to jobs and other essential trips to do so as safely as possible.”
SORTA’s sales office has re-opened and will close at 4:00 p.m., however, customers are encouraged to purchase their fare via the Transit app with EZFare on their smartphones to reduce interactions at the farebox.
Keeping customers and employees safe during COVID-19
SORTA says it is committed to ensuring the safety of customers and employees during the coronavirus epidemic and is doing the following:
- Conducting rigorous daily cleaning of all buses.
- Applying a chlorinated, sanitizing disinfectant that kills the coronavirus to all buses and surfaces inside buses and facilities, including poles, stanchions and seats and facilities, including Government Square.
- Using an electrostatic sprayer which promotes surface adhesion of the disinfectant.
- Closing the administrative office lobby to walk-in customers.
- Practicing social distancing in all workplaces.
- Temporarily changing the "No Facial Coverings" policy to allow non-surgical masks to be worn by operators and customers while riding the bus.
