Buses Limited to 10 Riders
Starting Thursday a limit of 10 passengers on county buses to prevent spread of COVID-19.
Milwaukee County is going to begin limiting the number of people allowed on a bus to mitigate crowding and reduce human contact during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting Thursday, no more than 10 passengers can be on a Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) bus simultaneously. “We’ve been concerned about overcrowding,” said County Executive Chris Abele in a press briefing Tuesday.
So if you see your bus roll past your stop Thursday, that is why. Abele said they are moving additional buses onto routes with higher traffic. “I apologize to people that have to wait longer,” Abele said.
The county executive emphasized that bus service is for essential rides only, those going to medical appointments or essential jobs. “Nobody has the right to increase anybody else’s risk,” he stressed.
Local government and health officials expect a surge in COVID-19 cases to hit Milwaukee County sometime towards the end of April. They have been pushing social distancing and isolation as a measure the public can use to reduce the pressure on the health care system when the surge comes.
The limit on bus passengers is the latest adaptation from the transit system to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recently the bus system suspended all fare collection so that riders could enter the bus exclusively through the rear door, limiting interaction with bus operators. Before that, the bus system reduced its service, after a large reduction in ridership due to the pandemic.
In March, a bus operator tested positive and was treated for COVID-19. Before that, the Amalgamated Transit Union 998, which represents transit workers, made repeated calls for personal protective equipment.
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More about the Coronavirus Pandemic
- MHD Release: Milwaukee Health Department Launches COVID-19 Wastewater Testing Dashboard - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Jan 23rd, 2024
- Milwaukee County Announces New Policies Related to COVID-19 Pandemic - County Executive David Crowley - May 9th, 2023
- DHS Details End of Emergency COVID-19 Response - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Apr 26th, 2023
- Milwaukee Health Department Announces Upcoming Changes to COVID-19 Services - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Mar 17th, 2023
- Fitzgerald Applauds Passage of COVID-19 Origin Act - U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald - Mar 10th, 2023
- DHS Expands Free COVID-19 Testing Program - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Feb 10th, 2023
- MKE County: COVID-19 Hospitalizations Rising - Graham Kilmer - Jan 16th, 2023
- Not Enough Getting Bivalent Booster Shots, State Health Officials Warn - Gaby Vinick - Dec 26th, 2022
- Nearly All Wisconsinites Age 6 Months and Older Now Eligible for Updated COVID-19 Vaccine - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Dec 15th, 2022
- City of Milwaukee Bi-Weekly COVID-19 Update - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Dec 9th, 2022
Read more about Coronavirus Pandemic here
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