No masks, no service: Move to make masks mandatory on York Region Transit

If approved, riders and drivers could be wearing masks as of July 2 to stem spread of COVID-19 amid reopening of economy

Yorkregion.com
June 15, 2020

Mandatory masks on York Region Transit (YRT) in order to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus could be in effective as early as July 2.

A complete staff report on the implementation of the policy will be presented to York Region Council on June 25 after Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti raised the issue at the region’s committee meeting earlier this month.

“It is our duty to ensure that all public spaces, especially enclosed areas like buses, are safe for both riders and transit employees,” Scarpitti said, adding the move would also be a sound business decision.

“When people feel safer, they are likely to take transit. A healthy transit system is key to making a full economic recovery and restoring public confidence.”

Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga and Ottawa have already implemented the same protocol.

The Ford government released safety guidelines to transit agencies as the economy reopens and people return to work.

Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney said the guidelines were designed in consultation with health and transit authorities.

But Scarpitti is calling on provincial officials to introduce measures to make it mandatory for all transit passengers across Ontario to wear masks.

“Passengers often move across municipal boundaries and a consistent provincewide approach ensures there are no risks to public safety,” Scarpitti said

“For the sake of fairness, and in effort to limit the spread of the virus, this would be a positive step.”

YRT ridership and the demand for transit service significantly decreased with the closure of schools, businesses, municipal and public spaces and more residents working from home during March and April, with overall ridership down by about 80 per cent compared to last year.

Service levels were adjusted with routes temporarily suspended, cancelled and operating on limited schedules.

Travel for essential services was maintained connecting employment areas in York Region, connecting to TTC subway stations and transit schedules that mirrored weekday rush hours.

While ridership was down, costs actually went up, according to YRT general manager Ann-Marie Carroll because of reduced fare revenue coupled with increased cleaning protocols.

The weekly net cost for delivering YRT services during the COVID-19 pandemic increased to $1.6 million, up from $1.1 million. Bus and facility cleaning and disinfection added an additional $30,000 weekly cost, according to the region.

As ridership potentially creeps back up with more people getting back to work, masks may provide an extra layer of protection where physical distancing is more difficult.