Name: Metro makes masks mandatory on its Houston-area buses and trains
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Metro makes masks mandatory on its Houston-area buses and trains

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This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateMetro riders need to cover up to hop aboard, following a decision by the transit agency Thursday to require masks on its buses and trains.Metropolitan Transit Authority board members approved the requirement at their monthly meeting Thursday morning, citing the need for all residents to protect themselves — and others — in public as COVID-19 cases in the Houston area increase.“We owe an obligation to each other to treat our neighbors as we treat ourselves,” Metro Chairwoman Carrin Patman said. “In order to flatten the curve we have to take prudent steps.”The requirement means all riders must wear face coverings, unless it is medically harmful to do so, while on buses and trains and at Metro transit stations and buildings. Workers and contractors also are required to wear masks. Additionally, anyone entering a Metro building will need to have their temperature checked.Metro drivers will have masks to provide to customers who do not have one, transit agency CEO Tom Lambert said.The vast majority of riders, when offered a mask, are taking and wearing it, said Andrew Skabowski, chief operations officer for Metro. Drivers on buses and fare inspectors and police are given the masks to hand out.Skabowski said prior to the Thursday’s board vote, Metro was handing out about 50,000 masks per week. With the requirement in place, he said officials expect to go through as many as 120,000 masks weekly.For those who refuse to cover up, Skabowski said, Metro drivers will work through a checklist, informing reticent riders that it is a requirement; if they do not wear a mask, the bus cannot proceed and a Metro supervisor will have to be called to arrange alternative transportation for them, which will take time to coordinate.“From there, the patron typically either puts on the mask or walks away,” Skabowski said, adding that “peer pressure” on the bus can help diffuse the situation.As drivers worked to encourage mask use over the past three days, Skabowski said only 10 refusals led to a supervisor being called. In each of those cases, the person either complied or left without seeking alternative transportation from Metro. In two cases, Metro police responded but did not take any action against the rider.“We are not looking at civil or criminal penalties,” Lambert said.FREEWAY FAIRNESS QUESTIONED:On Wednesday, riders waiting for buses and trains downtown said they would welcome a mask requirement, which some said should have come weeks ago.“Get on the train and you see maybe half the people without a mask, or with one but not wearing it,” said Richard Newman, who rides the Red Line from his job in Midtown to his home in Lindale Park. “It’s scary.”Though health officials have not pinpointed a safety issue with transit, Metro employees, particularly bus drivers, haveMetro plans to , after eliminating payments in March to reduce conflict between riders and drivers. By mid-July, transit officials plan to install plastic shields to separate drivers from riders. Hand sanitizer also will be available on all buses and trains.dug.begley@chron.com

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateMetro riders need to cover up to hop aboard, following a decision by the transit agency Thursday to require masks on its buses and trains.Metropolitan Transit Authority board members approved the requirement at their monthly meeting Thursday morning, citing the need for all residents to protect themselves — and others — in public as COVID-19 cases in the Houston area increase.“We owe an obligation to each other to treat our neighbors as we treat ourselves,” Metro Chairwoman Carrin Patman said. “In order to flatten the curve we...

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Metro makes masks mandatory on its Houston-area buses and trains

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