The City of Winnipeg says regular transit service will resume amid COVID-19 next month.
In a release Friday the city said it will immediately begin recalling roughly 120 transit drivers and 41 drivers-in-training who had been temporarily laid off due cuts in service because of the virus.
The city says buses will start running on a regular summer schedule starting Sunday, Aug. 2, with full weekday service set to start Tuesday, Aug. 4, following Terry Fox Day.
The city announced service changes to Winnipeg Transit — and temporary layoffs for hundreds of drivers — April 22.
At the time the city said Transit had seen a 72 drop in ridership as a result of COVID-19, which they said had resulted in roughly $6 million in lost revenue every month.
To offset the loses, transit services were reduced across the city and, starting May 4, weekday schedules were dropped to what the city called an “enhanced Saturday schedule.”
The changes meant 221 fewer buses were roads, and the city said 229 permanent drivers and 24 non-permanent drivers would be temporarily laid off as of May 3.
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On Friday Jason Shaw, manager of the city’s emergency operations centre, said the ridership numbers stayed low in May and June, but have since rebounded, with ridership numbers rising by 52-56 per cent in the last two weeks.
He said that’s why regular service is now being restored.
The city said it’s also welcoming all riders back to Winnipeg Transit, not just riders who needed the service for essential travel, as had been previously recommended.
Shaw said the city said it is recommending the use of non-medical face masks for every riding the bus or Transit Plus, but added drivers and transit inspectors would not be enforcing the use of masks.
Passengers are also being encouraged to keep their distance from other riders on buses when possible and not take the bus if they’re experiencing flu-like symptoms.
Shaw said the latest recall of Winnipeg Transit employees brings all of the service’s temporarily laid off staff back to work.
He said roughly 89 city employees remain temporarily laid off, mostly from recreational services.
In mid-April the city temporarily laid off 674 non-permanent staff working at the city-owned and -operated rec centres, pools, arenas and libraries that were closed in March.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.
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