Maine transit services clean up, tighten up safety precautions
The public transit agency serving Biddeford, Saco and Old Orchard Beach plans to resume operations Friday, a month after shutting down after two reported COVID-19 cases among its employees.
BSOOB Transit said in a letter last week that it has disinfected its buses and two office locations, and implemented new safety and social distancing procedures.
“We feel confident that BSOOB Transit can safely return to limited operations,” the letter read.
The transit group plans to resume express-bus round trips between Exit 32 of the Maine Turnpike and Portland, with two weekday morning runs and two afternoon ones. That transit agency will also start service again on two of its five local bus lines. The Black & Orange Line and the White & Blue Line will run from 8:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
While the limited service is in effect during the pandemic, all bus fares will remain free.
The agency suspended operations last month just hours after announcing it would reduce service beginning April 6 as a precautionary measure. But within hours of the announcement, the transit agency learned of the infected employees and immediately pull all its buses off the road.
Quarantining of the employees and others who might have been exposed “has decimated our driver pool in short order,” it said at the time, and imposed the shutdown through April 30.
Other Maine transit agencies are also making changes in response to the coronavirus crisis.
Beginning Monday, passengers aboard the Bangor Community Connector bus system must wear face coverings. Riders are required to wear a mask or cloth that covers the mouth and nose in order to protect others from possible infection, the city said in a news release. Passengers who don’t comply may be refused service.
Last week, the Greater Portland Transit District imposed a similar measure on its METRO buses, which run throughout Portland and also to Brunswick, Falmouth, Freeport, Gorham, South Portland, Westbrook and Yarmouth.
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