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How to get everyone wearing masks on public transit

Aug 28, 2020 | by Julia Gerasimenko

Universal mask wearing on buses and trains is the best way to ensure transit riders and operators stay safe and healthy amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

While universal compliance is difficult to achieve, leadership from local and state elected officials and local transit agencies is needed to send a clear, direct, and accessible message to transit riders that masks are required on all buses and trains.

We do, however, understand that not everyone may have access to masks. To remedy this problem, we’re suggesting that CTA install mask dispensers on buses and trains.

While the Healthy Kit giveaway program has been a commendable effort on CTA’s part, the reach of the program was very limited. Making masks readily available on all buses and trains is the best way to ensure universal mask compliance.

Take action now to support our call for mask dispensers on buses and trains.

To show an example of messaging that public transit agencies could use, we developed a graphic that is easy to understand without English language literacy.  The graphic explains why wearing a mask on transit is an essential way to stop the spread of COVID-19.

 

 

Transit agency should also make an effort to remind people about the correct way to wear masks. In that vein, we thought we would share this example from the transit agency in New York City. It provides a simple, easy to understand communications tool to demonstrate to riders how to properly wear a mask.

To increase mask use in Illinois, the state might want to consider creating a transit-specific version of its All In Illinois campaign (the photo at the top of this post is from that campaign).

By providing masks to transit riders and communicating in an approachable, accessible manner for people who may not have English language literacy, we can improve mask compliance on transit.

We need leadership from local and state elected officials to send clear messages about wearing masks on transit and and we need funding required to distribute masks on buses and trains. The federal government also needs to step up with more resources for transit agencies to purchase masks and dispensers.

Take action now to support the call for mask dispensers on buses and trains.