As public transit ridership rises in Metro Vancouver, so do concerns about COVID-19

Vancouver yoga instructor Nadine Agosti would rather not take transit, but lately when she's been on the bus she's noticed a lack of precautions to safeguard against the spread of COVID-19. 

Gone are the roped off seats to encourage physical distancing. Agosti says face masks are a rare sight, and there is nary a sign to warn people about the risks of contracting the novel coronavirus.

"It just feels unsafe," Agosti said, adding she often has to ride with people sitting on either side of her. "It's a bit nerve-racking."

As British Columbia eases into Phase 3 of its pandemic reopening plan, more people have been taking transit — and some say they're worried about the lack of physical distancing on increasingly crowded buses and trains. 

Ridership doubles

TransLink says ridership has more than doubled since the height of the pandemic, to about 30 per cent of its usual numbers.

For transit users like Agosti, who takes transit out of economic necessity, that means feeling like she's putting herself at risk every time she gets on a bus. She would like to see more signs warning people about COVID-19 and encouraging them to take precautions, like wearing a mask.

"It's almost as if nothing ever happened when I get on the bus," she said. "It's not like we're back to normal."

The B.C. Ministry of Health says there are no known COVID-19 outbreaks related to transit. The ministry said in a written statement that it's "impossible to know" if there has been community transmission on public transit, but "there are no known concerns at this time."

'Please wear a mask'

A TransLink spokesperson said public transit in B.C. is exempt from provincial requirements to keep customers two metres apart because it's an essential service. The spokesperson said there are signs warning about COVID-19 at most of its major hubs.

Last week, TransLink launched its "wearing is caring" campaign to encourage riders to wear face masks, but so far it appears few people have taken the message to heart. 

In an interview with CBC Radio's On the Coast on Thursday, TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond said anecdotal evidence from staff suggest that as few as one-third of riders have been wearing masks. 

"We'd like to get that number up," Desmond said. "Please wear a mask if you're using public transportation right now."

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry recommends that riders use face masks on transit, but they're not mandatory. 

'The mask isn't for you'

Joshua Denny-Keys, who rides the West Coast Express from Port Moody into downtown Vancouver to get to work, says claiming that a third of passengers are wearing masks would be "generous."

Denny-Keys, who works as a music therapist in the health-care sector, says he's less concerned for his own safety than he is for vulnerable people who may be more susceptible to the risks of the virus. 

"The mask isn't for you, it's for other people," Denny-Keys said. "And I think we still all need to be assuming that we're carrying this thing."

He wishes TransLink staff would set a better example by wearing masks themselves, even though he understands it's not mandatory.

More hand sanitizer

Desmond said TransLink is looking at ways to help riders feel more comfortable on transit, including installing more hand sanitizer stations across the network. 

"We're trying to find different ways to enhance what we can do to give people a better sense and greater confidence that they can ride transit confidently," Desmond told radio host Gloria Macarenko. 

Desmond said while the numbers have doubled since April, data so far suggests that ridership is more spread out throughout the day than is typical — which he sees as a positive sign that people are following advice to take transit at off-peak hours.