GoDurham joins nationwide public transportation industry ‘Health and Safety Commitments’ Program

NOV. 11, 2020 -- GoDurham has joined the American Public Transportation Association’s “Health and Safety Commitments Program,” the public transportation industry’s overarching pledge to passengers that public transit systems are taking all the necessary measures to operate safely as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

The health and safety of passengers and operators are the most important priority for GoDurham. Since the beginning of the pandemic, GoDurham has worked hard to keep its customers and employees safe. GoDurham joins more than 100 public transit systems across the country in signing on to the APTA Health and Safety Commitments Program.

The program was developed after APTA asked transit users from across the country what measures would make them feel more confident riding public transportation amid concerns about COVID-19. From this research, the industry found that riders most want agencies to:

Follow public health guidelines from official sources.
Clean and disinfect transit vehicles frequently and require face coverings and other protections.
Keep passengers informed and empowered to choose the safest times and routes to ride.
Put health first by requiring riders and employees to avoid public transit if they have been exposed to COVID-19 or feel ill.

GoDurham has pledged to meet these commitments by creating specific policies that are effective for our system, our riders and our community. A key component of the Health and Safety Commitments Program is that GoDurham and its riders share responsibility for following the guidelines. Riders rely on us to follow these commitments, and GoDurham relies on riders to protect themselves and other customers.

“GoDurham has always made safety for its customers and employees its very top priority,” GoDurham General Manager Doug Middleton says. “When COVID struck, GoDurham took immediate and comprehensive action to make our transit service as safe and reliable as possible. We are proud to join the APTA Health and Safety commitment with numerous other transit providers around the nation. This is just the latest step in a long list of actions taken by GoDurham to demonstrate our resolve to keeping our community safe.”

GoDurham is committed to continually addressing and implementing pillars of the program. GoDurham currently is:

Requiring all passengers to wear face coverings and to abstain from riding if showing any symptoms.
Providing masks on buses.
Suspending fares and asking passengers to use the rear door to enter and exit to maintain a safe distance from the bus operator.
Providing hand sanitizer on every bus.
Deep-cleaning each bus daily and sanitizing high-touch areas several times a day.
Deep-cleaning Durham Station throughout the day.

“This program is a commitment that this industry is making to all those we serve now and to those who we look forward to serving,” said Nuria I. Fernandez, APTA chair and general manager and CEO of Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. “Public transportation is and will be vital to the social and economic recovery of our nation. But getting there requires us to win back our ridership and encourage new riders to view public transit as a preferred mobility choice. We believe this commitment program will help do this.”