VIA will enforce limit of 16 passengers per bus.
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A VIA bus driver wears a protective mask and gloves as he drives through downtown San Antonio last week. Starting Wednesday, VIA will allow no more than 16 passsengers per bus so they can space themselves with empty seats between them. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
A VIA bus driver wears a protective mask and gloves as he drives through downtown San Antonio last week. Starting Wednesday, VIA will allow no more than 16 passsengers per bus so they can space themselves with
Photo: Eric Gay /Associated Press
A VIA bus driver wears a protective mask and gloves as he drives through downtown San Antonio last week. Starting Wednesday, VIA will allow no more than 16 passsengers per bus so they can space themselves with empty seats between them. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
A VIA bus driver wears a protective mask and gloves as he drives through downtown San Antonio last week. Starting Wednesday, VIA will allow no more than 16 passsengers per bus so they can space themselves with
Photo: Eric Gay /Associated Press
Starting Wednesday, VIA Metropolitan Transit will set a maximum passenger load of 16 riders at a time to ensure social distancing on buses, with drivers displaying a message in the destination sign that reads “At Safe Capacity” to let people at bus stops know to wait for the next one.
A typical VIA bus would hold 35 to 40 people on a busy route. When VIA began a reduced “Saturday” schedule this week, it instructed drivers to keep an informal count and call dispatchers for a “spacer” bus to be sent out on the route when the count reached 16. On Tuesday evening, the agency announced it would begin enforcing the limit.
Passengers should keep empty seats between them, and are encouraged to cover coughs and sneezes and wear a mask, the agency said.
Bruce Selcraig is a staff writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Bruce, become a subscriber. [email protected]
