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Valley Metro bus driver speaks out on ‘unsafe’ conditions during COVID-19 spread
A Valley Metro bus driver is speaking out about his working conditions in the era of social distancing in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
PHOENIX - A Valley Metro bus driver is speaking out about his working conditions in the era of social distancing in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
He asked FOX 10 to withhold his name for fear of retribution, and he says he’s not the only one fearful.
“Everyone’s afraid of getting in trouble or losing their jobs because we’re filmed all day long. There’s 9 cameras on those buses,” he explained, saying he is among several drivers who say they don’t feel protected.
“They give us one pair of rubber gloves and they say, once you go back and load a wheel chair and go back up front and then take the gloves off and don’t touch anything on the bus ... well I have one pair, what happens if i want to eat my lunch?" he asked.
Buses have been flooded with homeless riders taking advantage of free rides, he said. Passengers have to load from the back door, and that means the drivers cannot go back there to check tickets.
“We cannot deny rides to anybody. As many people that need to get on the bus can get on the bus," he said.
Valley metro has not put caps on passenger limits, meaning there could be anywhere from 20 to 30 people riding at one time. Something that could be even more concerning as the weather begins to warm up this week.
“I just don’t feel safe. They’re coughing. The air conditioner sucks the wind through the back of the bus and blows it right on me. I just don’t feel safe driving but I need to go to work. people need to get around,” he said.
With the expected peak of cases still to come, he says these conditions don’t make sense.
“I can’t go to dinner, I can’t go to church, but I gotta have 30 people on a bus? Limited numbers would make it safer, I believe."
Madeline Phipps, spokesperson for Valley Metro, released a statement saying:
Valley Metro cares about the health and well-being of our community. The lifeline service we provide only happens with equal care and concern for our front-line staff and passengers.We have instituted additional, temporary safety measures on our transit vehicles that enhance distancing between operators and passengers by requiring passengers to enter/exit through the rear doors and be seated at least six-feet behind the operator. Fare inspection by bus operators will be limited in keeping with CDC recommended distancing protocols. We will evaluate this temporary measure through the month of April. In addition, deep cleaning and anti-viral disinfecting of all bus fleet occurs daily to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.While public transportation is critical to our community, we encourage riders to make only necessary or critical trips. These precautions follow the advice of public health and safety professionals and are consistent with our commitment to keep our front-line staff and passengers safe.