Community encouraged to use transit for essential trips only

CINCINNATI – The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) board voted today during a special meeting to resume fare collection on Metro and Access at the request of the City of Cincinnati, effective Sunday, April 12.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 our customers, operators and the community at large with crowding on-board buses.To safely facilitate this request, Metro is installing protective plexi-glass 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 on-board. Riders should continue exiting via the rear door of the bus.“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, Metro CEO & 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.”Metro’s sales office has re-opened and will close at 4 p.m. today, however, customers are encouraged to purchase their fare via the Transit app with EZFare on their smartphones to reduce interactions at the farebox.Metro is committed to ensuring the safety of customers and employees during the coronavirus epidemic and are 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.For the latest Metro news and service updates, please sign up for Cincy EZAlerts to get text or emails notifications about the routes you ride.Metro is a non-profit, tax-funded public service of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, providing about 13.5 million rides per year.# # #