COVID-19 has required everyone to live in a new norm. To promote the health and safety for both their drivers and passengers, the Chicago CTA has created new social distancing regulations. The procedures that have been put in place is critical to ensure we are able to transport the essential worker passengers such as those in healthcare, police officers, firefighters, and the paramedics.
For now, gone are the days where passengers will be standing shoulder to shoulder as the number of passengers allowed on the bus will be limited. New capacity guidelines such as having 15 or more passengers on a standard bus gives the operators an option to skip stops and run as “drop-off only”.
In addition, signs will be posted on all CTA buses, directing passengers to enter through the rear door entrance. Farecard readers are being moved to the rear of the bus as well and some rear door buses may have to be opened by the passenger manually by hand. Passengers that have accommodations will have to signal to the bus drivers when they need to use the ramp or need the bus to be lowered and will still be able to enter through the front door.
Essential workers that need to travel on the CTA will look much different than before. The new norm will be everyone wearing face masks, needing to have hand sanitizer handy, new boarding procedures that have been put in place and capacity limitations. Passengers should plan accordingly. To ensure the safety of others, the CTA has updated their regulations because of COVID-19 however everyone should still keep in mind the “stay at home orders” that are in place.
For additional details, read TimeOut’s article here:
