Joshua Morrison/Mount Vernon News
Knox Area Transit’s Martin McAvoy demonstrates the cleaning of some of the areas on a KAT bus Tuesday. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, they have seen a dip in riders, but they still remain diligently cleaning after a route is finished. [request]
MOUNT VERNON — Knox Area Transit is still up and running amid numerous closures within the county due to COVID-19 concerns, but with a few adjustments to ensure the health and safety of their riders.
Martin McAvoy, the transit program administrator, said drivers are doing everything possible to ensure a safe ride for those who need it. Buses used for medical runs are now being cleaned with a bleach solution between every ride, and every other bus is being disinfected at least twice a day.
“We’ve identified a couple of buses to focus on for medical-type trips and those drivers are disinfecting between trips, so anyone that has gone to the doctor, the hospital, dialysis, anything like that, they’re getting on a bus that has been freshly disinfected,” McAvoy said.
Drivers also have hand sanitizer, gloves, masks and sanitizing wipes on board for both driver and rider use.
McAvoy sent a letter to KAT riders outlining expectations for both riders and drivers. The letter asks riders to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s current guidelines such as social distancing, and to only ride out of necessity. If a rider has a fever or is feeling ill, they should inform KAT before riding or refrain from using public transit.
“Only ride public transit if you need to because we’ve got all kinds of different people riding and we don’t know their situations. We’re doing our best to keep everything disinfected and sanitized but we can’t make any guarantees,” McAvoy said.
Due to school and business closures in the area, McAvoy said ridership is currently low.
KAT has 37 drivers and 29 buses, and on a typical day, averages around 700 rides, but this week the company is averaging 200 a day. Most of the rides KAT provides are medical runs according to Knox County’s mobility manager, Susie Simpson, which increases the need for sanitation between runs. McAvoy said the time it takes to disinfect the buses between runs might increase labor time, but the safety of the community takes precedence.
“To me this is a safety protocol,” McAvoy said. “We want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to make sure that we’re not spreading this.”
McAvoy said that KAT works with the Knox County Department of Job and Family Services and the commissioners who are in touch with the health department on a regular basis to ensure everyone is on the same page, and will evaluate the situation as it progresses.
“This is the first week, really, that we’re affected here in Knox County. We’re trying to evaluate what we’re doing, what we need to do and how we provide transportation,” McAvoy said.
