A pilot project testing the effectiveness of copper to kill bacteria on high-touch surfaces on buses and SkyTrain cars has been so successful that it is being expanded, TransLink said Thursday.
In November, the transit authority announced that copper-based products and organosilane, a coating that protects against microbes, were going to be installed on two trolley-buses on busy routes and two SkyTrain cars on the Expo and Millennium lines. The surfaces were tested twice a week for effectiveness and also tested for durability.
TransLink said Thursday that lab tests have shown that copper kills up to 99.9 per cent of all bacteria within an hour and is durable enough to stand up to daily transit ridership.
As part of a second phase of testing, TransLink and Teck Resources will install copper barriers on more train cars and buses and then perform a new series of tests, along with public consultation.
The pilot project is the first of its kind in North America, according to TransLink.