PORT ANGELES – Because of reduced ridership since the Governor’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” proclamation, Clallam Transit Thursday shifted bus service to their Saturday service schedule which, according to General Manager Kevin Gallacci, starts a little later in the morning and ends a little earlier in the evening.
“Because our riderships are reduced about 50% and mainly because our workforce has reduced by about a little over 30% at this time, with all the available leaves out there right now. So we’re going to run this at 30 days at a time. And so we will look at this again in 30 days and, if necessary, will extend it again for another 30 days or if things improve here, then we can decide to you know, go back to full service again.”
We should also note that bus service is operating fare free until further notice. Gallacci said he wants to remind folks that riders should only use the bus for essential errands like grocery runs and getting to work to keep the buses safer.
“Yeah, definitely. Transit operators are part of the essential workforce. And you know, I’m very concerned about their health and safety. And so we’re putting as much precautions as we can out there to protect their health. And on the buses that have two doors, were boarding through the back door so that there’s less contact with the operator. And also we’re limiting the amount of people per bus.”
Once you’re on the bus, Gallacci says rider etiquette has changed a bit as well.
“On the bus, we’ve got a lot of signage about ‘cover your cough, practice social distancing’. Also, it’s real important to as, I mean, wearing masks at this time. I mean, it makes people certainly feel a lot more comfortable. We’re making our own masks here and hopefully we’ll be able to hand some out soon to our customers that would like them that don’t have their own mask.”
Gallacci suggests customers go to their website at clallamtransit.com to find out more about schedule and route changes.