B.C. Transit adds new measures to align with province’s restart plan

VICTORIA—BC Transit announced today that they will be adding additional practices and procedures to align with B.C.’s Restart Plan.

The new measures will include:

• capacity management, including keeping buses at a comfortable lead. BC Transit will continue to target a comfortable capacity on buses, which may result in buses being full and customers could experience pass ups. BC Transit is encouraging customers to use NextRide to check for capacity in advance of boarding and attempt to travel at non-peak times as much as possible
• the use of face coverings will be encouraged on buses and at bus stops where physical distancing is not possible
• protective barriers for operators in the form of vinyl panels or full driver doors
• one way passenger flow entering through the front of the bus and exiting through the rear of the bus. An exception will be made for customers with mobility aids to exit through the front of the bus
• Resuming front door loading and fare collection effective June 1, 2020
• Timeline for installation of full driver door protective barriers on buses will be accelerated

“Public transit will be key to British Columbia’s recovery success, and we are working closely with BC Transit to ensure people can continue to access this important service – to get to where they need to go.”—Claire Trevena, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure