“Based upon available funding this fiscal year, the citywide trolley service will operate 15 hours a day, from 8 AM to 11 PM, 7 days a week, with 15 vehicles in daily service and 30-minute average service frequency (passenger wait times),” Interim City Manager Raul Aguila wrote in a letter to City Commissioners. “When developing this reduced service plan, staff considered service span, frequency, and ridership potential based on historical data.”
The City will provide trolley operator LSF with a cleaning/disinfecting solution approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and require trolley drivers to disinfect the interior of each vehicle and high-touch surfaces upon completion of one loop (estimated to be every hour to hour and a half). Deep cleaning of vehicles will be conducted each night. The City will also provide hand sanitizing solution on all trolleys.
Aguila notes, “City staff will conduct periodic inspections to ensure LSF drivers are properly disinfecting vehicles and meeting the City’s expectation.”
Drivers will be subjected to daily temperature checks and are required to wear facial masks at all times.
“To allow for social distancing on-board the trolleys, vehicle capacity will be limited to 10-12 passengers at a time,” Aguila said. “Pursuant to federal law, passengers are required to wear a facial mask over their nose and mouth when boarding, disembarking, and for the duration of travel as well as follow social distancing guidelines."
Other precautions:
- When boarding, passengers will be instructed to wait for those on-board to exit before entering the trolley vehicle.
- Signage will be posted outside and inside of all vehicles advising passengers of mask/facial covering requirements, limited capacities, and CDC-recommended prevention and hygiene practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
- Drivers must communicate protocol requirements to passengers “and to ensure compliance to the extent possible,” Aguila wrote.
For more information, visit the City’s trolley webpage here.
