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OAK BLUFFS – A series of photos circulating on social media on Monday morning have raised concern among Martha’s Vineyard residents who say a lack of masks being used on Vineyard Transit Authority buses are “upsetting”.
“I have to use the bus to get to and from work and it’s frustrating watching people not follow the simple guidelines of wearing a mask,” says local resident Maggie O’Mara, who uses the VTA buses to get to and from work each day. “I wear one for 9 hours while at work, and on the bus to and from work.”
While passengers riding without a face covering are “not something we want,” according to Angela Gompert of Vineyard Transit Authority, it is up to the driver to decide if they feel comfortable confronting mask-less passengers.
“That’s where it gets complicated.” While wearing a mask is required, Gompert says the VTA also has to take into consideration driver safety. “There are bus drivers all over the country getting into fistfights over people not wearing masks. Recently, in Seattle, a bus driver was beaten with a baseball bat. Most of the time we instruct drivers to call operations facility if they feel uncomfortable enforcing this policy.”
Once a call is reported, Gompert says official protocol is to call for reinforcements. “This could range from sending an operations manager, or if the passenger becomes unruly, law enforcement. But we can’t require drivers to enforce it.”
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Gompert says an investigation has been opened into the reported incidents on July 26th at 10pm on a bus from Edgartown to Vineyard Haven and a similar incident reported on July 27th at 9am, both on bus number thirteen. “It’s a problem island-wide and really, all over the place. We are investigating those photos and pulling video from those buses. This is the first time this is being brought to our attention, and we will speak with the drivers to learn what happened or why.”
O’Mara, who was on the bus during the July 26th incident, says the ride home was “so full that people had to stand”. “A union year-round bus driver told me that they were implementing a ‘max capacity’ rule, like Stop & Shop, but I have not seen one bus follow that rule yet.”
In an effort to keep up with cleanliness standards, Gompert says the VTA has taken numerous safety precautions.
“What we’re doing is- and this goes back to March, but even before COVID- we bought these Everclean hospital grade sanitization sprayer. We’ve been using that system for 2 years to clean the building, restrooms and buses which are cleaned nightly.”
In addition, the bus company says they are continuing to conduct a weekly cleaning of their HVAC systems to maintain a safe air conditioning quality and is considering conducting a demo of a new UV sanitization system. “These procedures aren’t going to end when COVID goes away, by the way. These are our cleaning standards.”
She also added drivers are given a spray bottle to wipe down high-touch areas during their shift such as railings or stop buttons, a supply of masks and gloves that can be distributed to any passenger without one and have installed hand-sanitizer systems on buses. While O’Mara confirmed she did see hand sanitizer at the front of the bus, she has “never seen gloves or masks available.”
Gompert says they do plan to issue a social media statement on the incidents.
By Emmalyn Reid
