recommendations for sanitation
Sanitation is a concern on the front of everyone's mind at the moment. As a society, we have become hyper-aware of sanitation. One key to increasing ridership again on public transportation is to increase sanitation measures and advertise these changes well to the public. People will feel more secure in a place that they believe is well-sanitized, or a place where they have control over the sanitation.
In the Bay Area, California, ridership of public transportation has fallen 90%. Ridership of public transportation in New York has fallen 87%, and more than 50 MTA employees have contracted the virus. Public transportation appears to oppose many of the goals states and countries are instating to reduce the spread of the virus. Public transportation promotes travel and requires density - both of which are vectors that promote disease spread. The recommendations that we offer below aim to increase sanitation on public transportation which is a necessary means of travel for essential workers now during the lockdown, and will continue to be a necessary means of travel as restrictions are lifted.
1. provide opportunities for riders to sanitize
Riders will feel more comfortable when they have the resources they need to clean their space. Some recommendations we have include providing hand sanitizer wipes, touch-less hand sanitizer dispensers, and other personal protective equipment (PPE).
2. implement visible sanitation efforts
Sanitation measures that are visible to the public are important because they
help add to the rider's sense of security. If riders don't visibly see the space being cleaned, they may not know that it is being cleaned. Clean public spaces often, and during daytime hours.
3. offer touch-free personal protective equipment
Distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) is another important way to increase a customer's feeling of sanitary security. However, it is also important that this distribution is touch-less. Customers should only be able to touch the PPE that they plan to use. Hand wash stations and hand sanitizer dispensers should be sensor activated to reduce touch-points.
4. limit touch-interfaces
Similarly, when people have to interact with their physical space by touching many interfaces (i.e. turnstiles, payment stations, doors, handles) they may feel that the space is less sanitary. Making many of these points sensor-activated, can increase a customer's feeling of safety, security, and efficiency.