Public Transit Throughout the Pandemic

Ted McGrath/Flickr

Since the beginning of the Pandemic, TransLink, the Metro Vancouver transit authority, has implemented various on-board mandates and sanitation measures.

But as ridership rates return to pre-COVID levels and higher, TransLink has rolled back measures that were implemented previously while reshifting focus back on expanding the current network through new projects and improvements to existing infrastructure.

At the start of the Pandemic, every other seat and seats near the operator were closed, boarding only happened at the rear doors, and the maximum capacity for buses was halved. Operators were also given sanitization kits and clear barriers to separate passengers and operators furthermore. TransLink also heavily promoted social distancing within buses in accordance with public health orders.

Fare collection was also suspended in the first months of lockdown because of its passenger-operator interaction. Along with the low ridership, TransLink faced a hefty financial challenge during that period. The transit authority saw their lowest ridership of 75,000 people in all of the pandemic in mid-March. Despite being funded by the government for being an essential service, their operational revenue was halved. The CEO of TransLink Kevin Desmond commented, “we are losing $75 million per month and on our current trajectory, we will face cashflow issues within weeks,” in a March 2020 press release seeking emergency funding.

In response, TransLink suspended five routes with low ridership and reduced service to prioritize transportation routes used most by frontline workers.

As June 1, 2020 approached, the safety precautions on public transit began to ease back. When elementary and secondary schools reopened for in-person classes, TransLink resumed fare collection, reopened boarding at the front doors, and raised the maximum capacity to two-thirds full. This remained the state of public transit until vaccines were distributed to the public.

Additionally, TransLink took some steps to promote vaccination once it became available. At Tsawwassen’s ferry terminal, air-conditioned buses gave ferry passengers their immunizations in a comfortable space before they continued their trip. A shuttle service was added on the North Shore at the same time, which drove passengers from Capilano mall to the ICBC vaccination site. The existing HandyDART door-to-door medical service also served a new purpose of transporting vulnerable persons to immunization centres.

Innovative steps were taken in the midst of 2021 to prevent the spread of COVID. One instance was their utilization of photocatalytic oxidation (PCO). In public transit, PCO would take UV light from the sun and produce low levels of hydrogen peroxide that is distributed throughout the air inside the vehicle, killing viruses on surfaces and in the air. PCO is currently being tested in two double-decker buses and a 60 feet articulated bus.

Another 2021 test conducted was with copper’s use as a surface material. Copper has the ability to kill 99.9 per cent of bacteria and viruses and is a health product according to Health Canada, and TransLink has been testing its antimicrobial properties in public transit since November 2020. The use of copper is still being examined today in a second round of tests conducted by Vancouver Coastal Health and Mount Sinai Hospital/University Health Network and funded by Teck Resources Limited under the Copper & Health Program. These trails make TransLink the first North American transportation agency to use copper on transit vehicle surfaces.

Now that COVID is becoming endemic, most mandates implemented during the peaks of the pandemic have dissolved. Masks are now optional in all TransLink services except for Handy-DART, boarding rules are back to normal, buses are back to full capacity, and all seats are open. However, features like the operator barrier have stayed to retain the safety in public transportation environments, and technology aimed against COVID are likely going to find their ways out of testing and into transit regardless of if COVID is continues or not.

TransLink is set on expanding its network fourfold, from 100 kilometers to 400 kilometers, in 2050. TransLink also plans for a 850 kilometer network separated from traffic that is dedicated to bikes. These visions that TransLink has and more are described in their Transport 2050 plan.

There are a handful of potential project ideas alongside ones in Transport 2050 such as a UBC SkyTrain extension and a Burnaby mountain gondola that are in the midst of getting public engagement and support. Despite COVID’s impact, TransLink seems to be committed to the development of their 2050 vision of Vancouver’s transit network.

On its website, Translink proactively summarizes how COVID has impacted its network and outlook: “While public transit use declined in 2020 and early 2021 due to COVID-19, it remained an essential service. Work and travel habits may change for some in the coming months and years, but we expect transit ridership to return to — and surpass — pre-pandemic levels as the region prepares to welcome more than one million more people and approximately 500,000 new jobs by 2050. That is why we are looking ahead and planning for the future.”