CLEVELAND — The Greater Cleveland Transit Authority is taking additional precautions such as using masks and ultraviolet light to protect customers and employees alike from the spread of coronavirus.

To help disinfect vehicles and property, RTA will be working with Daylight Medical of Middleburg Heights to use an ultraviolet light called Moonbeam3 to clean “high traffic” areas such as buses, rail cars and other vehicles.

“This unit is lightweight and mobile, so our staff can easily transport it to any site. It is safe and plugs into a standard wall outlet. The UV-C rays can disinfect a bus in less than an hour,” said RTA’s Deputy General Manager of Operations Flounsay Caver.

RTA states that the ultraviolet light can also be deployed as a response if a bus or train has to be temporarily removed from service due to an incident that requires sensitization. The light is especially useful when it comes to cleaning transit police K-9 cruisers where regular chemical disinfectants could affect a dog.

Last week, RTA said it started using plexiglass to create enclosures for employees working booths at Tower City station to create distance between customers and employees.

Back in early March, RTA said that it started allowing vehicle operators to wear face masks at their own discretion. Now, RTA volunteers are working to make masks to meet the growing demand for them.

“We have some of the most talented, industrious employees, and they are all pulling together to do everything they can to protect as many people as possible. We are on the front lines, with other public transit systems across the country, providing what both the state and federal authorities have deemed an essential public service,” said RTA CEO and General Manager India Birdsong. “That’s why we’re doing everything we can to meet the service demand, while keeping our customers and our staff safe.”

RTA is asking individuals who ride public transportation to adhere to the following guidelines:

• Maintain a distance between passengers of at least 6 feet
• Limit conversations with others and the operator. If you must speak with the operator, please stand behind the yellow line
• Exit from the rear of the vehicle

“We absolutely must be there for our community to take them to the grocery story, medical appointments, and to essential jobs,” said Birdsong. “Medical professionals use the HealthLine to get to hospitals, grocery workers need to get to stores where they work to restock shelves. Thousands of Greater Clevelanders still rely on public transit to get to their places of employment every day, and we are committed to getting them there as we all fight the spread of coronavirus together.”

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