HYANNIS – The Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority has made significant changes to its operations in response to Coronavirus.
To combat the pandemic, the CCRTA has eliminated all safety classes and in-person interviews, and is advising staff to work remotely wherever possible to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
“Our senior staff is here doing everything they’re supposed to be doing and more,” said CCRTA Administrator Tom Cahir.
Cahir also said that they have seen a 30% reduction in the dollar-ride service that they provide daily, as well as a reduction in other routes’ ridership.
“All the schools are of course cancelled, so we carry about 200 students a day to the public and private schools in the mid-Cape, so that takes a lot of people off our buses,” said Cahir.
Their Boston hospital route has seen as few as 2 people on the bus. Their fixed-route ridership has seen a significant dip in use, as well.
“Our fixed-route ridership, which goes into all 15 towns, seven different services has seen a significant reduction in ridership,” said Cahir.
With the Cape’s high senior population, Cahir said that the CCRTA is in communication with senior centers to help residents get where they need to.
They have also been in contact with town municipalities to ensure that residents can still get to the services that they need, despite the pandemic.
Cahir said that the CCRTA facilities and equipment are getting cleaned and sanitized daily to help slow the spread of the virus and keep riders as safe as possible.
“We’re trying to stay on top of everything and keep everybody safe. Not only our employees, but our many customers. We’re implementing all kinds of new initiatives to try and achieve that goal, and we’re meeting regularly to discuss what’s going on,” said Cahir.
The CCRTA will be providing updates with timestamps to their website regularly for residents to check schedules, services, and alerts going forward.
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