Metro has been performing deeper and more frequent cleaning on all of its buses, rail cars and vans since last March. At the same time, staff began investigating the best possible methods of sanitizing the fleet, now with an emphasis on viruses. The results have been very effective.

On buses and vans, Metro has added ionized sprayers to its arsenal. The devices charge particles of disinfectant so that they get into every nook and cranny, and stick to surfaces longer. Buses are treated every time they pull into a garage, offering an additional line of germ defense for passengers as well as staff.

Metro Rail offers a different set of challenges. Ionized sprayers are not ideal for the electric vehicles, so Metro cleans carefully by hand. To make sure cleaners are getting every place they need to go, staff follows up with swabs and onsite testing, just like hospitals. The hygiene meters provide immediate feedback on the disinfecting process moments after it is done – telling staff if it needs to be done again.

And the investigation continues. Metro continues to research new and effective ways to keep transit clean and healthy. Air filtration, ultra-violet light and anything else that kills COVID will be fully vetted.