Prince George buses will see a reduced number of passengers starting Monday (March 30).
BC Transit made this announcement today (March 27) for systems across the province in another step to help flatten the curve on COVID-19.
The organization has seen a decrease in ridership of about 50 to 70 per cent recently with changes and closures at post-secondary schools, primary and secondary schools, businesses and government agencies.
This comes a day after the service announced its shifting the Prince George system to its summer schedule starting Sunday (March 29) to increase physical distancing between its riders.
Routes that are discontinued until further notice:
- 12 Parkridge
- 17 UNBC
- 18 Spruceland
- 96 and 97 Kelly
Routes that are being frequently reduced:
- 15 UNBC / Downtown (including late-night trips)
- 55 Victoria
BC Transit says they do not anticipate pass-ups as a result of new measures, since the number of riders is already down.
"We ask customers to please leave plenty of time for their transit trip to allow for physical distancing, and thank our customers for their patience," reads a news release.
They have already implemented the following physical distancing measures:
- Rear door loading, except for those with accessible needs
- Not collecting fares
- Enhancing the red line for customers to remain behind to provide physical distance from the operator
- Promoting good etiquette on transit for physical distance including providing space for other customers and checking passenger loads before traveling
- with files from Kyle Balzer, PrinceGeorgeMatters
