Fort Saskatchewan residents raised concerns about the safety of Diversified bus passengers late last week, in light of the recent coronavirus outbreak.

One resident noted passing 24 buses with over 30 passengers, stating the buses were “packed” with passengers.

Diversified offers transit for employees of Albian, Suncor, and Syncrude in Fort McMurray, as well as employees of Heartland Petrochemical in the Edmonton-area.

“The health and safety of our passengers, partners, and employees is our top priority. With the recent concerns of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), Pacific Western Transportation Ltd. / Diversified Transportation Ltd. has placed procedures for regular coach and bus cleaning at our Alberta facilities,” wrote Vice President of Employee Transportation, Tim Lindsay.

“All coaches and buses are cleaned both internally and externally at regular intervals. Recently, we have increased the frequency, method, and materials used to complete this work,” he added.

While several businesses have been completely shut down as a result of the pandemic, some Albertans have been listed as essential workers, making the Diversified transit an essential route for industry employees.

As a result, transit companies have introduced new cleaning measures.

The new measures include regular disinfection of bus interiors, extra hand sanitizer provided to riders, thorough cleaning of high-contact areas with medical-grade disinfectant, and sanitization of floors.

Additional precautions include lockdown and isolation of vehicle washrooms, extra cleaning staff, electrostatic sanitization of all unit interiors, and reduced capacity to create social distancing of passengers.

“Diversified endeavours to maintain the highest standards of sanitization to get everyone safely home,” Lindsay said.