Transport Canberra is to ramp up its on-vehicle and public transport interchange cleaning regime in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Minister for Transport, Chris Steel said a program of twice-daily bus and light rail cleaning, along with daily cleaning of stations, was to commence this week.
“Public transport is an essential service for the Canberra community, and we are working hard to ensure these services continue to be provided by Transport Canberra and Canberra Metro, while minimising risk for our customers and drivers,” Mr Steel said.
“Teams are stepping up the cleaning of hard surfaces such as seats across bus stations and light rail interchanges.”
He said a company had also been engaged to undertake a study of cleaning practices, with a view to making further recommendations in relation to Transport Canberra’s cleaning practices.
“We are reminding our customers and our drivers to practice good hygiene on and around public transport and we are asking Canberrans to avoid using public transport if they feel unwell,” Mr Steel said.
“People can help us reduce the need to handle cash by using MyWay cards, and tickets can be purchased from ticket vending machines located at major bus stations and all light rail stops.”
Mr Steel said that the ACT and other jurisdictions had started to see a significant drop in the number of people using public transport in recent weeks following the Australia-wide introduction of social distancing measures.
“As of today (17 March), Transport Canberra bus drivers are being advised to allow passengers to enter and exit buses via the rear door to reduce interactions between other passengers and drivers,” Mr Steel said.
