The people who drive Seattle-area buses are grappling with a duty they never imagined, as “first responders” to a coronavirus pandemic.
While most people hunker down, transit is designated an essential service.
So essential, in fact, that even if bus drivers are exposed to the novel coronavirus, Metro instructed those who don’t show symptoms to continue working.
“For Metro, our mission-critical (level 1) employees, such as operators, are considered first responders,” said an operations bulletin March 26 from General Manager Rob Gannon. “First responders who have been exposed to COVID-19, but do not have symptoms, are expected to report to work because of their essential function.”
Generations of bus drivers have worked near hundreds of passengers on their daily routes — and some sanitize their work spaces each flu season.