Westmoreland County to further reduce bus service during coronavirus crisis
Westmoreland County transit officials will further reduce commuter and local bus service starting March 30.
Ridership has dropped about 80% over the last two weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic, Transit Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said Thursday.
All non-life sustaining businesses in the state have been ordered closed, resulting in fewer people using public transportation to go to work.
“Our commuter service (to Pittsburgh) is down to about nobody,” Blahovec said.
The authority will cut back both its weekday commuter and local bus services. Most routes will continue to operate on reduced schedules. Saturday routes will continue as previously scheduled. Starting next week, customer service staff operating from the Greensburg transit center will be open weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The revised schedule is posted on the authority’s website.
“This will allow us to use less drivers and have fewer buses on the road to be exposed to the virus,” Blahovec said.
Meanwhile, the changes will allow the authority to improve efforts to keep buses clean. Buses will be disinfected daily, he said.
Thursday’s announcement came a week after authority officials implemented an initial round of service reductions on both its commuter routes and the Westmoreland Go paratransit system. The authority this week added solo rides to its door-to-door subsidized ride program for low-income and elderly riders who receive medical and human services.
No additional changes are currently planned for the Go Westmoreland system, Blahovec said.
Transit officials asked riders to practice social distancing on buses and to not sit directly behind drivers.
Blahovec said some drivers have accepted voluntary furloughs and others will work reduced hours as part of the revised schedule.
“We’re trying to keep everyone whole,” Blahovec said.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.