Peterborough Transit is temporarily offering free bus service amid growing concerns over COVID-19.

No fare is required and passengers don't need to show transit passes until further notice.

The idea is to reduce the personal contact required in the physical exchange of fares, according to a press release from the city.

Furthermore, passengers are now being asked to enter and exit the bus from the rear doors (except for those with accessibility needs).

Bus drivers are also limiting passenger loads to better promote social distancing, states the release, and the seat directly behind the driver isn't in service.

"Reducing the number of people on buses may result in delays, but this measure is essential as the city of Peterborough makes service changes that will help to protect the public and the staff," states the release.

Meanwhile the passenger waiting and restrooms at the Peterborough Transit terminal on Simcoe Street were also closed to the public on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, the bus routes to Fleming College and to Trent University were discontinued as the campuses are closed.

At around noon on Wednesday, only a few people were waiting outside the main bus terminal on Simcoe Street and some buses were running empty or near-empty.

Still, Mayor Diane Therrien said Wednesday she's glad the city is allowing free transit - particularly for precariously employed people who must get to work even in a time of social distancing.

"We do take this very seriously - it (transit) is an essential service and people need to get around," she said.

No more parking tickets were being issued downtown starting Wednesday, Therrien also said.

Some tickets were issued in error Tuesday, after the provincial government declared a state of emergency, she said, but the city will waive fines on those tickets.

"We shouldn't have sent out parking tickets then - and we recognize that mistake and corrected it immediately," Therrien said.

"It makes no sense to put even more hardship on the downtown, which is going through a lot right now."

Bars in Peterborough and across the province closed on Tuesday - St. Patrick's Day - as the provincial government declared a state of emergency to try to decrease the spread of coronavirus.

Restaurants were also forced to close unless they can offer takeout or delivery.

As of Wednesday Peterborough had two confirmed cases of COVID-19: the first was a 30-year-old man who became ill six days after returning from travels in Spain and in Portugal, and the second was a close contact of that person.

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joelle.kovach

@peterboroughdaily.com