In this file photo passengers wait for their Rock Region Metro bus at the River Cities Travel Center in downtown Little Rock. - Photo by John Sykes Jr.

Rock Region Metro will reduce routes starting Friday, and streetcar services have been cut in response to federal recommendations to reduce gatherings of people during the coronavirus outbreak.

Rock Region's decision was announced on the same day state health officials reported that 15 more Arkansans had tested positive for the coronavirus. It was the largest number of positive results reported by the state in a single day, and it raised the number of known infections in Arkansas to 37.

The public transit bus service announced Wednesday that service on Route 17, Mabelvale/Downtown Little Rock; Route 25, Pinnacle Mountain Express; Route 26, Maumelle/Oak Grove Express; and Route 36, Jacksonville/Sherwood Express will be cut to reallocate buses to high-ridership routes in an effort to reduce passenger loads.

Buses will be placed on Route 3, Baptist Health Medical Center; Route 5, West Markham; Route 10, McCain Mall; Route 14, Rosedale; Route 22, University Avenue/Mabelvale; and Route 23, Baseline Road/Southwest Drive.

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Passenger loads will be limited for Routes 3, 5, 10, 14, 22 and 23.

The public transit system announced that Route 17 is a duplicative route that covers much of the Route 22 service area. The agency encouraged Route 17 riders to use Route 22.

The Metro Streetcar service was suspended Tuesday in an effort to redirect staff resources to areas of higher need. The agency's microtransit service is still in operation along with the paratransit service.

"We understand the inconvenience a service cut may create with riders," said Charles Frazier, the agency's executive director. "Metro is weighing all service decisions carefully and balancing basic public transportation needs with public health needs, including the needs of our employees."

Rock Region Metro is the largest public transit service in the state. Maps and schedule information can be found at rrmetro.org.

Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington also ordered that regular bus service provided by Pine Bluff Transit be discontinued until further notice. Washington said buses that provide transportation for disabled residents are still running.

"A lot of our drivers were not wanting to get out, and we're kind of limited there, so we had to decide what services we would continue to offer," Washington said. "We decided to offer the most critical services."

Washington said riders who are still offered transportation services are those people who are covered under the Americans With Disabilities Act, many of whom rely solely on the bus service for transportation.

"These are people who cannot ride in an automobile or who have no other means of transportation and who need to get to their doctor's appointments and other critical trips they have to make," she said. "For many of them, this is their only means of transportation."

The Fort Smith Transit Department announced Wednesday that it will continue bus service, but it is taking extra steps to clean and disinfect buses and facilities.

The department is spraying commercial disinfectant in all buses each night and will do additional cleaning of facilities, according to a news release from the department. That will be in addition to the department's normal routine of cleaning buses, facilities and equipment on a schedule and performing routine fogging of buses with a commercial sanitizer, Transit Director Ken Savage said in the news release.

"We encourage all passengers to practice good hygiene and social distancing where possible," Savage said.

Fort Smith is Arkansas' second-largest city, with more than 80,000 residents.

In Northwest Arkansas, Ozark Regional Transit said it will continue to operate as normal but that any changes would be posted online at ozark.org.

The new coronavirus is a respiratory illness that originated in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. The World Health Organization declared the virus a pandemic March 11, and President Donald Trump declared a national emergency Friday.

Symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC recommends people wash their hands; avoid close contact with sick people; and avoid touching their eyes, noses and mouths with unwashed hands.

Information for this article was contributed by Dale Ellis and Danny Shameer of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Metro on 03/19/2020