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Release Date: Jan. 25, 2022
Media Hot Line: 713.739.4040
METRO has received confirmation seven bus operators, one fare inspector, nine employees in the Operations Department and one Communications Department employee have tested positive for COVID-19. Also testing positive, one contract operator employed by First Transit. This brings the total number of cases to 1470 METRO employees and 246 contractors since March 2020.
Seven hundred eighteen of the employees had no contact with the public. METRO tracks and reports all positive cases among its 4000 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 Jan. 20 and in the two weeks prior, drove the following routes:
 The second bus operator last worked Jan. 10 and in the two weeks prior, drove the following routes:
 The third bus operator last worked Jan. 20 and in the two weeks prior, drove the following route:
 The fourth bus operator last worked Jan. 20 and in the two weeks prior, drove the following routes:
 The fifth bus operator last worked Jan. 18 and in the two weeks prior, drove the following routes:
 The sixth bus operator last worked Jan. 18 and in the two weeks prior, drove the following routes:
 The seventh bus operator last worked Jan. 19 and in the two weeks prior, drove the following routes:
 *The charts above reflect the days the employees were on duty two weeks prior to their last days on the job.
The METROLift contractor provided services on Jan. 10-11, 13-14 and 17-18. METROLift is an on-demand service and does not operate specific routes.
The fare inspector was on duty Jan. 14 and 17-21 two weeks prior to testing positive.
All other employees had no contact with the public.
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 operators during those time frames as well as anyone else who may have been impacted by the latest COVID-19 cases.
Federal law now requires anyone on the METRO system to wear a face mask. This includes rail stations, transit centers and bus stops. Plastic face shields are not considered masks. Exemptions are available for children under the age of two, a person with a disability who cannot wear a mask or wear one safely because of a disability defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Since mid-March 2020, METRO has sought to minimize the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission by operators or passengers by encouraging social distancing, placing plastic barriers between operators and passengers, providing access to hand sanitizer while on board our system and requiring masks.
We appreciate and greatly value our riders and thank them for their assistance as we have continued to offer service throughout this pandemic. We have taken many actions, including working with the community at large, to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19.
METRO’s number one priority will continue to be protecting the health and safety of our customers, community and employees.
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