METRO's Commitment to Safety

The health and safety of our customers and employees is a priority for METRO. Since the beginning of the pandemic, METRO has worked tirelessly to keep riders and staff safe from infection from the coronavirus. METRO is actively working to instill confidence in riders by committing to protecting their health and safety.

To do this, METRO conducted a customer survey of our riders and identified four key areas to address to earn riders’ confidence:

• Following public health guidelines from official sources such as CDC, State, and local guidance whenever possible
• Cleaning and disinfecting transit vehicles frequently and requiring face coverings and other protections
• Keeping passengers informed and providing resources to support safe travel
• Putting health first by requiring riders and employees to avoid public transit if they have been exposed to COVID-19 or feel ill and installing additional safety measures

METRO has pledged to meet these commitments by enforcing specific policies that are effective for our system, our riders, and our community. A key component to the success of this mission is the shared responsibility of our system and our riders to follow the guidelines. Riders rely on us to follow these commitments, and METRO relies on riders to protect themselves and other customers.

METRO needs your help to protect you and other riders, to do so please adhere to the following rules when using METRO services.

• METRO strongly recommends the use of face masks while onboard METRO vehicles and while entering a Transit Center.
• Stay at home if sick or with COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath
• Please adhere to all posted protocols while on the bus including no eating, drinking, smoking, or vaping while riding a bus
• Wash your hands with soap and warm water or use hand sanitizer to disinfect your hands before and after riding a bus
• Please maintain 6 feet of separation from the operator while riding the bus
• Limit carry-on items. No personal items are allowed in the aisle, restricted areas, on the wheel well, or empty seats; and all carry-on items must be carried in one’s lap
• Always exit through the rear door
• Do not attempt to engage the bus operator in conversation and never dwell near the front of the bus when boarding

METRO is here to make sure you get to your destination as safely as possible, to do so we have implemented new safety measures

• METRO strongly recommends the use of face masks while onboard METRO vehicles and while entering a Transit Center.
• Face shields have been issued to all bus operators, as secondary prevention when worn with a mask, for use when securing wheelchair passengers
• Complimentary face coverings are available in buses, while supplies last
• Posted COVID-19 prevention measure flyers in our buses and at our transit centers View photo
• Operators have been trained on how to increase inside/outside air exchange rates and increase airflow in all of our buses
• Clear plastic curtains have been installed at the operator’s compartment on all fixed-route buses

• Deployed new electrostatic disinfectant fogger that is used on each of our buses nightly View photo
• Hand sanitizer dispensers have been installed inside each bus and at our Transit Centers View photo
• METRO has installed a customer service window at Santa Cruz Transit Center and Watsonville Transit Center that can be accessed from the outside of the building. Check our Customer Service webpage for days/hours of service as the window may be opened at reduced hours or closed.
• Ticket vending machines (TVMs) have been moved from inside the facility to outside and are available 24-hours a day. View photo
• Installed two Customer Service Calling Kiosks that provides customers with direct access to a Customer Service Representative to assist with planning a trip or to answer any questions. Available at Santa Cruz and Watsonville Transit Centers. View photo

• METRO also daily monitors all COVID-19 prevention information produced by the CDC, California Health Agency, and the Santa Cruz Health Agency along with industrywide transit best practices to stay up to date with prevention measures
• METRO has joined the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) “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 nation recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Launched our new Splash Pass App, METRO’s new mobile ticketing app, allowing for contactless payment of fares. View more detail. View photo

METRO is spreading the word to our community about our added safety measures with a full fleet of advertisements on the sides of our buses through King, Queen, and Tail ad placements. This series of ads features three messages: Serious About Safety, Deliberately Disinfecting, and Seriously Sanitizing.

For additional information on how METRO is fully committed to the health and safety of our customers and employees please review the below links:

METRO Joins the Pledge for APTA’s Health & Safety Commitments Program Press Release

METRO Safety Tips for Passengers, Pedestrians, and Cyclists

For more information on how METRO is keeping our employees and customers safe see our August BOD Presentation