CAPITAL TRANSIT BUS SERVICES UPDATE

APRIL 23, 2020

 

Capital Transit Passengers,

The staff of Capital Transit/City of Helena would like to say thank you for your patience and understanding of the impacts to our transit service and staff caused by the current COVID-19 pandemic. The goal is to resume full operation as we navigate the phased approach to the “New Normal” as outlined by Governor Bullock on Thursday, April 23, 2020.

In an effort to be responsive to our passengers the staff at Capital Transit/City of Helena hold discussions each week to discuss and identify options that may be useful in an effort to resume all of our services as quickly and safely as possible for our passengers and staff. Based upon the recently issued guidance from the State the following update for our services is provided:

 

FIXED ROUTE and EAST VALLEY BUS SERVICES:  ** SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE **

Due to available staffing we are not able to resume operation of our Fixed Route and East Helena/East Valley bus services during this segment of State-wide recovery efforts.

Please keep in mind that as we continue to transition further into the recovery and as additional staffing becomes available the “New Normal of these services and still active ADA Paratransit service may include limited/revised hours of operation, alternate routes or partial services or a combination of any of these concepts for service, which is not only needed for staffing but to assure we have time to clean and sanitize the bus’s used each day.

However, as we move forward in our recovery efforts to full operations, Capital Transit has added additional requirements, limitations and restrictions (see below). These additional measures are being implemented as health and safety control measures to assure passenger and Staff safety during the COVID-19 public health emergency. These additional measures are anticipated to remain in place until Phase 3 of the State Recovery Plan.

 

ADA PARATRANSIT SERVICE: ** NO DISRUPTIONS IN SERVICE **

Currently Staff are to screen all passengers of using Capital Transit Services and under this directive we currently screen all ADA Paratransit Passengers when calling in the setup a ride for either next day or same day ADA Paratransit transportation.

Due to the inability to assure proper and adequate screening of passengers using advanced scheduling options such as the 14-Day in advance or premium ride scheduling option known as reoccurring/subscription scheduling options these options are suspended until phase 3 of the State Recovery Plan.

 

Finally, as we move forward in our recovery efforts to full operations and anticipated increase in usage created by the lifting of restrictions in Phase 1 of the State Recovery Plan, the additional requirements, limitations and restrictions listed below will be in effect starting Monday, April 27, 2020. As discussed previously these measures are being implemented as health and safety control measures to assure passenger and transit staff safety during the COVID-19 public health emergency and are anticipated to remain in place until Phase 3 of the State Recovery Plan.

 

TEMPORARY COVID-19 PASSENGER REQUIREMENTS, LIMITATIONS & RESTRICTIONS (EFFECTIVE STARTING MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020):

1. Capital Transit is not an emergency medical transport service provider, if you or anyone you know is experiencing a medical emergency of any type or may be experiencing symptoms associated with the COVID-19 virus, please call your medical care provider or 911 for assistance.
2. Prior to entering any bus, all passengers will be required to answer some basic health screening questions developed by the Health Department. Depending on the responses given some passengers may be instructed not to enter the bus and to contact their health provider instead for additional instruction.
3. All passengers using Capital Transit Fixed Route, ADA Paratransit or East Helena/East Valley services must wear a CDC recommended/approved design face covering when entering a bus and at all times while onboard the bus.
4. Any passenger who refuses to wear a CDC recommended/approved design face covering or removes the face-covering while onboard the bus will have their trip denied or will be required to exit the bus.
5. All passengers are to avoid touching noses, mouths, and eyes.
6. All passengers are required to cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or their arm.
7. All passengers will be required to observe the established Social Distancing requirement and maintain at least 6 feet of space between the transit operator and passenger; and between other passengers. The exceptions to this requirement include but are not limited to personal care attendants/guests, and small children who must be seated next to an ADA passenger, parent or guardian.
8. At no time will a passenger, personal care attendant, guest, child or other family member be seated directly behind the Driver
9. While the goal is to provide public transportation for as many passengers as possible in a day, we must observe the following carrying capacities in conjunction with the need to maintain social distancing.  The revised seating capacity for safe operational use of the buses will be as follows:
   1. Fixed Route Buses: No more than 4 passengers will be allowed on board at any time.
   2. ADA Paratransit Buses: No more than 2 passengers will be allowed onboard at any time.
   3. East Helena/East Valley Bus: No more than 3 passengers will be allowed at any time.
10. Due to the identified capacity limitations for social distancing and requirement for health screening all subscription/reoccurring and 14-day advanced ride scheduling has been suspended until further notice.
11. In the event a Fixed Route bus or the East Helena/East valley bus is full, additional passengers will be advised to please to wait for the next available fixed route bus or East Helena/East Valley Bus.
12. In the event an ADA paratransit bus is full, the Transit Dispatcher will enter the required trip scheduling negotiation to provide the requested trip(s).

<< Return Home See All Alerts >>