Coronavirus concerns: How GoDurham is responding
Friday, May 15, 2020
ADDED SERVICE STARTS MONDAY, MAY 18
GoDurham service currently is available for essential trips only, but ridership on many routes continues to be heavy, making it difficult to follow social-distancing recommendations. Since reducing service May 4, GoDurham has tracked the busiest routes and plans to add some service back starting May 18. Here is the new GoDurham schedule starting Monday. Please note that GoDurham is HIGHLY RECOMMENDING that all those riding wear face coverings.
Friday, May 1, 2020
REDUCED SCHEDULE STARTS MONDAY, MAY 4
During the COVID-19 pandemic, GoDurham has preserved as much transit service as possible to continue transporting our community’s essential workers and those who need access to groceries and medicines.
Unfortunately, GoDurham has determined that the sustained impact of this event on our workforce has reduced staff availability to a point that necessitates going to Sunday-level service every day starting Monday, May 4. Find route maps and schedules here.
Below is a message from Durham Transportation Director Sean Egan:
During the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, staff availability has been a challenge for GoDurham even as we have worked to deliver approximately 80 percent of our normal scheduled service. Staff shortages sometimes have forced missed trips on some routes. To keep our routes as reliable as possible for our customers, GoDurham has determined that it needs to reduce service.
Effective Monday, May 4, GoDurham will move to Sunday-level service every day and will work to identify additional staff members who can supplement our workforce to provide the maximum level of service possible to meet the essential travel needs of our riders.
As our riders and our community know, our bus operators and other front-line staff face significant challenges during this event, and we understand the critical importance of employee health and well-being as well as employees' family obligations during this time. Our employees have made great sacrifices, and we owe them a debt of gratitude.
This development heightens the importance of riders limiting trips to essential travel only, and for the safety of our dedicated staff and fellow riders, we continue to ask riders to use masks or other face coverings in accordance with the City-County Stay-at-Home Order.
Thursday, April 23, 2020
A message from the general manager
We recognize that we are experiencing occasional overloads as we exercise social distancing in an attempt to protect our customers and employees. We are working to mitigate this problem by identifying ways to add more service where it is needed most. This includes modifying route schedules, hiring additional bus operators and exploring the possibility of other agencies assisting with our service demands.
We are concerned and we know it is frustrating to have to wait 30 or 60 minutes for another bus when the bus you want is full. We thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to alleviate these service challenges.
Doug Middleton
General Manager
GoDurham
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
New limits on bus capacity
To make it easier to maintain social-distancing guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic, GoDurham is limiting the number of passengers allowed on each bus to 16.
When the number of riders on a bus reaches 16, the operator may change the header/destination sign to “Bus Full” to alert riders on the street that they may need to wait for the next bus. Operators will stop and inform riders of the situation.
GoDurham appreciates your understanding and reminds you that only people making essential trips should be riding at this time.
Thursday, April 16, 2020
GoDurham asking customers to cover their faces
Now that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that everyone wear a face covering in public, GoTriangle and GoDurham would like to encourage passengers to cover their faces while riding. Please remember that only those making essential trips should be taking transit at this time.
In light of new data about how COVID-19 spreads, the CDC has asked people to wear a cloth face covering over their noses and mouths in the community setting. This is to protect people around you if you are infected but do not have symptoms.
Can’t find a mask? Find a video of the US Surgeon General showing you how to make your own face cover here.
PLACES TO BUY MASKS
Vendor
Amy's 100% Cotton Face Masks with Ties
https://www.facebook.com/cottonmasks4u
Vendor
Stephanie Ortega – 919.441.8712
$3 for mask with filter
Vendor
CUSTOM EMBROIDERY, HATS, MASKS,
Creative Embroidery - 919.954.7431
Vendor
Kathy Overton Norman - Knorman1@nc.rr.com
Washable 100% cotton
Vendor
Mayuri Chirag Surati - mayurics1@gmail.com or 252.917.9939
$5 reusable cotton masks! It is free(1) for Healthcare workers with ID.
Vendor
919 Create and Design
Thursday, April 9, 2020
New social-distancing protocols
To help keep our passengers and bus operators safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, GoDurham has instituted some new onboard procedures.
Some seats have been restricted to make sure our customers can keep a safer distance from one another, and our bus operators now use their discretion in deciding when a bus can’t safely accommodate more passengers.
When all seats are taken, a bus operator can change the head sign to say “BUS FULL,” and passengers at bus stops will need to wait for the next available bus. We appreciate your understanding as we do everything we can to minimize any risks during this situation.
Customers are reminded that bus service is for essential trips only during the statewide stay at home order.
THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2020: Beginning Monday, March 30, GoDurham will reduce frequencies Monday through Saturday on Routes 4, 5K, 7, 10B, 11, 11B and 20. Here is a list of those reductions:
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2020: GoTriangle, GoDurham, GoRaleigh and GoCary have suspended all fare collections and instituted rear-door boarding. All ACCESS rides also are free. All agencies are still running regular schedules with few exceptions. Chapel Hill Transit is running Saturday-level service.
GoDurham sometimes needs to trim service because of a shortage of bus operators. Customers should sign up for service alerts for their specific routes at godurhamtransit.org.
Starting Monday, GoDurham will go fare free, institute rear boarding
MARCH 22, 2020 -- Effective Monday, March 23, GoDurham will suspend all fare collections and ask all riders who are able to enter through the rear doors of buses in an effort to support social distancing and reduce contact with frequently touched surfaces such as fare boxes. GoDurham ACCESS rides also will be free.
Exceptions will be made for riders who need to use the door nearest the bus operator for wheelchairs, strollers for infants or other mobility devices. Also, riders will not be allowed to stand on or near the standee line on the bus floor near the driver.
GoDurham plans to end service at 9:30 p.m. each day starting Monday
MARCH 20, 2020 -- Effective Monday, March 23, GoDurham plans to continue running its normal routes and daytime schedules but will end all service at 9:30 p.m., meaning the last pickup from Durham Station will be at 9:30 p.m.
In the wake of the coronoavirus pandemic, the City of Durham also has prohibited restaurants from providing dine-in services and ordered that bars, gyms and movie theaters close on-premises operations. Most grocery stores are closing by 8 p.m.
Ending GoDurham service at 9:30 p.m. will reduce the burden on bus operators and support staff who have worked tirelessly through this event and allow more time each night to follow the protocols in place to carefully disinfect the buses, according to Sean Egan, Director of Transportation for the City of Durham.
GoDurham is monitoring all recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, local health departments and the governor’s office to help curtail the spread of the virus.
FRIDAY, MARCH 20, UPDATE GoTriangle, GoDurham, GoRaleigh and GoCary are running the same routes and levels of service as they were Monday. Chapel Hill Transit is running Saturday-level service Monday through Saturday and will not run Sundays. GoRaleigh is going to cut back RLine service Saturday.
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, UPDATE GoTriangle, GoDurham, GoRaleigh and GoCary are running the same routes and levels of service as they were Monday. Chapel Hill Transit has moved to Saturday-level service Monday through Saturday and will not run Sundays.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, UPDATE All agencies are running the same routes and levels of service as they were Monday.
TUESDAY, MARCH 17, UPDATE All agencies are running the same level of service that they were running Monday.
MONDAY, MARCH 16, UPDATE All transit agencies in the Triangle may eventually need to modify operations with guidance from local health departments. Today, GoTriangle and GoDurham are running normally. Chapel Hill Transit is running its UNC spring break schedule. GoRaleigh is running a modified Route 40X to Wake Tech Community College. GoCary has curtailed some paratransit service. If you have questions, please call our customer service associates at 919-485-7433.
ON THE BUSES AND IN OUR FACILITIES
To ensure the safety of our staff members and passengers, GoDurham is closely monitoring updates and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, local health departments and the governor's office about the new strain of Coronavirus known as Covid-19.
In the buses, interior passenger areas and driver compartments are cleaned daily with Lysol. This includes seats, windows, floors and hand holds (stanchions and doors).
Durham Station is being cleaned daily and the platform is pressure-washed. Hand sanitizer stations are on back order due to demand but will be placed throughout the facility. Workers are cleaning all door handles and knobs once an hour during hours of operation with sanitizing wipes.
Check back here and on GoDurham social media for updates. We will be sure to communicate any new information with our passengers.
Thanks for riding GoDurham.