Authorities have been urging people to stay home in the coronavirus outbreak.
But many Virginians rely on public transport, including commuting to critical jobs.
Virginia’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation is shoring up the state’s public transit systems that have been put under strain by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic with an additional $11 million.
Carrie Rose Pace of the Greater Richmond Transit Company said maintaining service that encourages social distancing and focusing on hygiene carries increased costs. "We have been working to increase the frequency of cleaning by offering overtime voluntarily to our cleaning staff. They were able to cut the regular rotation of cleaning time in half."
Keeping buses clean helps them keep running during an exceptional time. "We are a part of that emergency function of society when disasters and incidents like this happen," Pace says. "So we are here for the community, but we are asking that our passengers only board for essential trips."
Systems transporting people in Richmond and Hampton Roads have seen a decline in ridership. Charlottesville and Richmond have also gone fare-free to facilitate social distancing.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.