HYANNIS – Members of the Cape Cod Reopening Task Force recently summarized efforts to improve local transportation services as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Plymouth/Barnstable State Senator Susan Moran said that her office and the state legislature as a whole are looking to ensure that children are able to get to school, workers can get to their jobs, and seniors can get to medical appointments.
Going forward, she said that obstacles in front of those goals need to be addressed.
“The problem’s more pronounced than it would have been expected as the worst case scenario,” Moran said, “due to space and staffing needs to accommodate social distancing.”
Moran praised the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority for their work during the pandemic as she stressed the need for added federal government funding for these causes.
That aid is also needed for accurate testing and to boost up local businesses, Moran said, even as more people stay on the Cape longer.
CCRTA Adminstrator Tom Cahir said there has been a “significant” impact on transportation at all levels, from local to national scales.
While communicating with state officials and gaining essential recognition from the federal level, Cahir explained that the administration has committed themselves to properly sanitizing their vehicles and implementing safety measures.
“We’ve gone beyond, I think, the call to make sure that all the people that access our service are aware that we do that,” Cahir said.
Cahir added that the CCRTA will continue to work to assure riders that their trains, buses, and other services are safe.
Steamship Authority General Manager Bob Davis pointed to increased ridership across their network over the past number of months.
“Hopefully, as ridership continues, we’re able to maintain service,” Davis said.
Davis thanked the state government for their amendment to relieve the Steamship Authority’s five port towns of any financial shortcoming liabilities during the pandemic.