TransLink is making significant changes to how it operates transit in Metro Vancouver, including instituting rear-door boarding and forgoing fares on buses, to promote social distancing and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The moves come in the face of a precipitous drop in ridership over the past week, as a result of the choice by many of the region’s residents to work from home and forgo unnecessary outings.

“I think it’s safe to say that this is an extraordinary measure, but it’s appropriate for what is an extraordinary time,” said TransLink spokesperson Ben Murphy.

“This is a very big step that TransLink has taken. It’s going to cause some significant pressures financially. That said, it’s the right decision, it’s an important decision, and I think it’s the decision that people in the region expect us to make.”

Starting on Friday and continuing until further notice, bus riders will be boarding and unloading only by the rear doors, to give more space to drivers. Those requiring mobility assistance can still use the front doors. Vehicles that don’t have a back door, such as highway coaches and community shuttles, will continue to load at the front.

Fares cannot be collected at rear doors and some buses don’t have Compass readers on those doors, so result fares will be suspended on buses, but are still charged on other modes, such as SeaBus, SkyTrain, West Coast Express and HandyDART.

On buses, certain seats have been cordoned off to keep riders away from drivers, and TransLink is accelerating installation of operator protection barriers. Seats close to crew on SeaBuses will also be unavailable to the public.

An education campaign is being launched to promote hygiene and ask passengers to allow for extra space for other riders and transit staff.

TransLink stepped up cleaning in recent weeks to reduce viral spread on the system, which had 436 million boardings in 2018. This includes cleaning stations and bus loops at least once a day, including a disinfectant wipe down of handrails, elevator buttons, door handles, fare gates, Compass vending machines, garbage handles, benches, seats, emergency cabinets and emergency phones.

All SkyTrain cars are cleaned overnight and receive a disinfectant wipe down of poles, seats, ceilings, handles, windows, sills and other surfaces. The entire bus and SeaBus fleet are sprayed with disinfectant weekly, on top of daily cleaning. HandyDART vehicles are disinfected twice per week in addition to daily cleaning.

Drivers and SkyTrain attendants have access to sanitizing kits and equipment so they can ensure their work areas are clean.

Murphy said there are no plans at this time to curtail transit service.

B.C. Transit, which serves communities across the province outside of Metro Vancouver, also announced on Thursday that for the next 30 days it is implementing rear-door boarding to increase social distancing for riders and drivers. Passengers can still load through the front door if they need the ramp or other accessible features. Fares are waived during that 30-day period for both the conventional system and HandyDART.

The change went into effect in Victoria and Nanaimo on Thursday, and will be in place as soon as possible in Cranbrook, Cowichan Valley, Campbell River, Sunshine Coast, Prince Rupert, Squamish and the central Fraser Valley.

The agency has also enhanced its cleaning regimen on buses, in particular disinfecting high-touch areas regularly.

The provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, said public transit is an essential service for many people who need to get back and forth to work, including those who work in health care and other key areas.

“But, there are things we can do in our transportation systems that will help us to minimize the contact between people and help prevent transmission,” she told reporters during an outbreak update on Wednesday.

She said she has been in contact with transit authorities to discuss measures like those that were implemented on Thursday.

“And, of course, right now where many people are staying at home, transit is less crowded, so we’re better able to do those sorts of measures, but those are important measures right now,” Henry said.

According to the latest figures from TransLink, ridership is down significantly from this time last year, and the worst plunge has taken place during the past week. On Thursday, March 12, the boardings were down seven per cent from Thursday, March 14, 2019, but on Tuesday, boardings were down 52 per cent compared to Tuesday, March 19, 2019.

For Tuesday, bus boardings were down 48 per cent, Expo and Millennium line was down 54 per cent, Canada Line was down 59 per cent, SeaBus was down 69 per cent and West Coast Express, which caters to commuters, was down 70 per cent compared to March 19 of last year.

Murphy said the drop means people are abiding by public-health recommendations and staying home. This means that, at this time, TransLink isn’t considering further restricting how many people can be on transit or where they can sit or stand.

“At this stage, we think the measures we have in place are appropriate, and given we have seen such a sharp decline in ridership you are seeing far fewer people out on the system anyway, which is allowing for that social distancing to occur,” Murphy said.

B.C. Transit has also seen lower ridership numbers than is typical for this time of year, but did not provide numbers. Service has been scaled back on some routes, including those that service the University of Victoria, to reflect demand and driver availability.

Gavin McGarrigle, western regional director for Unifor, which represents transit operators in Metro Vancouver, Victoria and elsewhere in B.C., said the union has been in constant contact with employers, and that on Thursday they did the right thing.

He said the union’s members are concerned, “as they have every right to be.”

“They’re concerned to make sure that the government and the employer is giving the best attention to their personal safety while they drive the public around under such a significant state of emergency,” McGarrigle said.

“There can be no messing around when it comes to health care workers or the people that are trying to maintain some semblance of order while we’re going through this trying time, so we need to make sure they’re taken care of, that they have the confidence that every precaution, based on the circumstances, is being taken to protect their safety so they can have a little bit of peace of mind to go and do the job they’re trained to do.”

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