TORONTO -- Metrolinx is set to remove cash payment options starting on Tuesday in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is an unprecedented, quickly evolving situation,” the transit agency’s spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins said in a statement. “This week, we are increasing efforts further to protect our staff who are working so hard on the frontlines to ensure essential staff in the region can get to their jobs.”

It is the latest initiative from the provincial transit agency in a bid to stop the spread of COVID-19. Earlier this month, Metrolinx reduced service on GO Transit and UP Express as a way of helping ensure that those who keep transit working stay healthy.

Aikins said the agency is well-stocked with required equipment and supplies to protect employees, including gloves and hand sanitizer. She said they have also separated their train and bus staff as well as station staff from the public to ensure social distancing.

Metrolinx have also allowed some frontline workers to wear masks, Aikins said.

Other transit agencies in the GTA have also implemented enhanced measures to protect their staff. It includes allowing passengers to board buses at the middle or rear doors, and reducing service on some routes.

Brampton Transit and MiWay Transit announced last week that passengers wouldn’t have to pay the fare.