The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has announced service revisions in an ongoing effort to protect the health and safety of its workforce and customers.
The MBTA says the new measures are also designed to preserve transit services for those who are essential to slowing the spread of COVID-19.
Effective over the weekend, the agency implemented a rear door-only boarding policy on all MBTA buses and trolleys at street-level stops on the Green Line and Mattapan Line, while still allowing for seniors and others with accessibility needs to continue to use the front doors when necessary.
These new measures further the T’s support for social distancing and are aligned with Gov. Charlie Baker’s State of Emergency declaration. They are in addition to service revisions implemented earlier this week that resulted in broad reductions in service to protect the health and safety of the MBTA’s workforce and customers.
“The MBTA is undertaking these measures to protect our frontline employees while maintaining regional mobility for essential trips by healthcare workers and emergency responders,” MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said in a statement.
This past week, the MBTA also implemented new protocols to clean and disinfect all high-contact surfaces on buses during mid-day layover periods. In an effort to protect the health and safety of the MBTA workforce and customers, this new protocol is in addition to the daily cleaning and disinfecting of all MBTA fleet vehicles that takes place once every 24 hours. These protocols also extend to all high-contact surfaces at subway stations throughout the MBTA, which are disinfected every four hours.
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SOURCE: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
