Last week, RIOC’s Transportation Department began to extensively clean its Red Buses throughout the day to decrease potential exposure to the coronavirus. All steering wheels, grab rails, stanchions and door handles are cleaned with bleach several times a day.
Our Facilities Department and outside cleaning vendor have stepped up their efforts to make sure our public areas are disinfected, using bleach when and where it is safe to use it. We are also distributing Clorox wipes and Lysol Spray to be used at all of our facilities and offices to reduce possible contamination.
POMA, the company that runs our tram service, is treating the tram cars and waiting areas with bleach and other disinfectants every eight hours. (Including handrails, cabin poles, hand strips and floors. The poles and benches are cleaned at the beginning of each rush hour shift, daily. The interior floors and glass walls will be sanitized at least once every 8 hours. The turnstiles and handrails at the stations will be sanitized at least once every 72-hour period by POMA, in addition to MTA’s daily disinfecting protocols, for turnstiles, MetroCard machines, and handrails.)
Although washing hands for twenty seconds under hot water is the best way to kill the virus, hand sanitizing gel has been distributed to RIOC and POMA staff who may not have access to soap and water on a regular basis.
RIOC will continue to keep everyone informed about our efforts to combat the virus.
For the latest on Governor Cuomo’s efforts to combat the coronavirus, please visit https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus/