Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) today handed out thousands of free cloth face masks to transit riders, distributing them during an event at the Charlotte Transportation Center in Uptown. This latest effort is another layer of safety the transit system hopes will encourage riders to wear a non-surgical cloth face covering while using transit services.
“Our team at CATS is making every effort to provide a safe environment for our riders. Until now, we have lacked access to face-masks due to the national shortage,” said CATS CEO John Lewis. “We thank our community partners at Novant Health for providing us with access to procure these face masks.”
On June 8, CATS reinstated the fare-payment system and increased service along the system. Since March, CATS had been operating a modified schedule and fare-free service to limit customer contact with operators, and encouraged riders to only use transit for life-sustaining trips. The system has since increased sanitization efforts, including adding in-service vehicle cleanings of buses and light rail vehicles during layovers at the CTC and terminus stations to allow cleaning staff and contractors to wipe down surfaces with hospital grade disinfectant. Visual markers were installed on buses and trains to mark six-foot distances and buses were limited to 20 riders when possible.
As the state slowly phases out of the stay at home orders and restrictions, CATS encourages riders to continue to practice the social distancing measures and courtesies when using public services.
CATS has stated they will host weekly mask distribution blitzes and supply riders with masks at the customer service kiosks for as long as resources permit.
“The health and safety of employees and riders takes priority in determining future service levels and safety protocols,” said Lewis. “We continue to closely monitor and evaluate evaluating how to best serve the community through the phased reopening of North Carolina.”
