PORTLAND, Ore. — TriMet is limiting the number of riders on its buses to 15 in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The temporary change goes into effect Thursday night.
No more than 10 individuals, or 15 people if there are couples or riders with children, will be allowed on buses, according to spokeswoman Robert Altstadt. If there are 15 people on a bus and people waiting at an oncoming bus stop, the driver will ask those people to wait for the next bus.
TriMet says riders should plan for extra time in case the bus they are waiting for is at its rider limit.
"I think it's fair, it keeps people away from each other," said Julius Wagner who rides the bus every day. He noticed passengers had already started keeping their distance from each other.
"I don't think you'll get much dispute about it."
Additionally, TriMet is posting signs on some seats that say “Don’t sit here” in order to encourage riders to distance themselves from one another, and from the bus driver.
Signs will be posted on MAX and WES trains encouraging riders to keep their distance from others.
TriMet says its weekly ridership is down over 63% from February following Gov. Brown’s stay-home order.
Last week, TriMet announced it would no longer take cash on buses.