Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the Central Ohio Transit Authority has sought to meet two very different sets of expectations to fulfill its mission – the agency needed to quickly implement new policies to limit the risk of exposure to its drivers and passengers, while at the same time continuing to provide an essential service for those that are still relying on buses to meet their most basic needs.
A COTA driver recently reached out to Columbus Underground to express his concerns about how the agency has navigated that challenge – he thinks the agency was too slow to establish safety procedures and not aggressive enough in its efforts to protect its employees, and insists that many other drivers feel the same way.
The driver, who requested anonymity because he fears professional repercussions for speaking out, said that the agency has not put driver safety first, and that a recent scandal at the local affiliate of the Transit Workers Union of America – its Secretary-Treasurer was found to have stolen over $300,000 from the local, which is now in receivership – has left workers without an effective advocate for their interests.
“It’s terrifying [to drive a bus right now],” he said, “what COTA’s implementing doesn’t get the job done…most drivers are scared to death.”
The driver listed a variety of specific complaints – he thinks service should have been cut more drastically in the early days of the pandemic, that more personal protective equipment should have been issued (and policies put in place to require drivers to wear it), and that COTA should be providing some level of guidance to drivers about the best way to safely return to their homes after a shift without putting their families at risk of infection.
“We have no idea how to come home to our families,” the driver said. “Are we contaminated? If we are, how do we mitigate this? Should we even be with our families? We have no guidance.”
The driver also has concerns about shared spaces in COTA facilities, like the area where drivers check in before and after a shift. He said there have often been too many people in small spaces, with not enough room for employees to stay six feet away from each other even if they wanted to.
COTA spokesperson Jeff Pullin provided responses to CU when asked about the complaints. He said that COTA allows only two operators to clock in at one time, and “in the coming days, we are taking that a step further and posting the maximum occupancy allowed in all common areas at all COTA facilities,” adding that “we are definitely always open to suggestions from our teammates on how to improve our social distancing practices.”
As for personal protective equipment, all drivers now have access to washable cloth masks and gloves, after an order finally came in that COTA had placed about three weeks ago.
“Operators received a kit this week with Lysol spray, hand sanitizer, paper masks and cloth masks,” Pullin said. “It is not a requirement for operators to use them, but COTA encourages the use and supports customers and operators wearing masks.”
The agency began an internal “Stop the Spread Campaign” in February, he added, and implemented extra cleaning procedures on buses, at bus stops, and in all of its facilities.
COTA is also “open to exploring” the installation of protective shields, like some grocery stores have installed in their checkout lanes, according to Pullin.
Two Positive Tests
Two COTA bus drivers have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the agency. The public announcements of the cases came out on March 28 and April 7, respectively, but COTA emphasized in both that the last date that either driver had operated a bus was March 12.
The new safety steps being implemented by COTA – much like the changes to operations made over the last month – don’t go far enough and have come too late, according to the driver who spoke to CU.
The agency announced its first coronavirus-related changes on March 16, cutting back service on several suburban rush hour lines. Three days later, COTA’s board approved making all bus rides free, and established a new policy that called for passengers to board the bus at the side door instead of at the front. The idea behind both policies was to limit the interactions that drivers had with passengers.
COTA also implemented a policy to cap the total number of passengers on a bus at 20, and on March 26, rolled out a new operations model called “dynamic service,” in which COTA-branded vehicles are deployed strategically to busy corridors, and then dispatched to pick up customers who may have been passed up because a bus is too crowded.
COTA said that an estimated 200 riders are utilizing the dynamic service option on an average weekday, meaning that some buses are reaching their maximum capacity and passing up passengers. Overall ridership, though, is down by about 63% compared to what it was before COVID-19.
Some of the trips that riders are still taking on COTA are certainly essential – Pullin said that about 250 children every day are using COTA to get free breakfasts and lunch at the distribution points set up by Columbus City Schools.
But the current state of the pandemic has led COTA to conclude that the most important thing it can do right now – for the safety of both drivers and passengers – is to discourage people from riding the bus.
“The biggest message we have right now for your readers is that COTA is for essential travel only…this protects our customers and our operators,” said Pullin. “That means COTA is for travel to work, food access and care. Otherwise, customers need to stay home and stay off the bus. We have also empowered our transportation team, including our operators, to share that message with customers.”
For more information, visit cota.com.