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Release Date: July 22, 2020
Media Hot Line: 713.739.4040
METRO has received confirmation four bus operators, two First Transit contract drivers, a mechanical foreman, utility worker, bus cleaner, maintenance employee, collision technician and two officer workers have tested positive for COVID-19. This brings the total number of cases to 146 METRO employees and 43 contractors since March 2020.
Sixty-eight of the employees had no contact with the public. METRO tracks and reports all positive cases among its 4200 employees and the various contractors who provide services to METRO. We are also conducting temperature checks of employees and others before they begin their workday at METRO facilities or on our vehicles.
The first bus operator last worked July 16 and in the two weeks prior, drove the following routes:
 The second bus operator last worked July 14 and in the two weeks prior, drove the following routes:
 The third bus operator last worked July 15 and in the two weeks prior, drove the following routes:
 The fourth bus operator last worked June 12 and in the two weeks prior, drove the following routes:
 *The charts above reflect the days the operators were on duty two weeks prior to their last days on the job.
Both First Transit contract drivers operated services for METROLift. The first drove June 22, 23, 26, 29, 30 and July 2 and 3.
The second First Transit contractor drove June 24, 25, 27, 30 and July 1, 2, 4 and 7. METROLift is an on-demand service and does not operate specific routes.
The mechanical foreman last worked July 18; the utility worker last worked July 17; the bus cleaner last worked July 13; the maintenance employee last worked July 10; and the collision technician last worked July 2. None of these employees had contact with the public.
The IT employee was last in the office March 13 and the human resource employee was last in the office June 4. Neither had contact with the public and both have been teleworking.
Anyone who comes in contact with an individual who tests positive should monitor themselves for possible symptoms, contact your health care provider as soon as you develop any symptoms, and self-isolate to avoid possibly exposing others, including refraining from using public transportation.
METRO is working with public health officials so they can identify and notify anyone who traveled the routes driven by the bus operators during those time frames as well as anyone else who may have been impacted by the latest positive cases.
Since mid-March, METRO has sought to minimize the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission by operators or passengers by encouraging social distancing. On March 23, the agency temporarily suspended collecting fares to avoid unnecessary contacts. Shortly thereafter, orange mesh fencing was installed across the aisles of every local bus to assure appropriate distancing between operators and passengers.
More safety upgrades are also being added to buses, trains and METROLift vehicles. Operators and riders will now have access to hand sanitizer while on board and protective shields around drivers' seats will provide another layer of separation between operators and the public. Operators and riders are required to wear a face covering while on the system.
We appreciate and greatly value our riders. We have taken many actions, including working with the community at large, to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19. To prevent or minimize its transmission on the transit system, METRO asks all riders to use the system only for essential trips at this time, practice social distancing when you do ride transit (i.e., stand or sit at least 6 feet apart, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control, wash your hands for 20 seconds before boarding transit and after deboarding, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, or cough or sneeze into your elbow, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, and stay home if you are sick). Additionally, riders should stand or sit no closer than six feet behind the driver.
METRO’s number one priority is protecting the health and safety of our customers, community and employees.
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