Must-Have Ingredients for a Safe Commute

Some employees cannot perform their job duties remotely. For those who need to travel into the office, how can you ensure that members of your team have a safe and reliable means to get to work?

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Johann Weber
Senior Program Specialist

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Key Takeaways

Transit is Safer than You Might Think
Transit is Safer than You Might Think

Based on research to-date, transmission risks on transit are very small so long as adequate distancing and mask use are in place.

A Breath of Fresh Air
A Breath of Fresh Air

Air on transit vehicles is filtered every 70-80 seconds, and fully replaced by fresh air every 3 minutes.

Take Some Extra Steps
Take Some Extra Steps

To minimize your risk further, pick train cars and seats with the fewest people, and follow established practices such as mask-wearing, hand washing, and distancing.

Why We Travel For Work

How safe or risky is transit?

Half the U.S. workforce cannot perform their jobs remotely1. These professionals rely on safe and dependable commuting options to access their worksite. While driving alone is a choice for many, transit is every bit as critical as ever. The costs of automobile ownership preclude many from driving, and the burdens of driving remain: congestion, parking, traffic violence, etc.  

How can you ensure that your employees have a safe and reliable means to get to workIs transit really an option right now?  

These are the 4 essential questions to ask about your transit system:  

  1. How is air handled in transit vehicles and stations?
  2. How busy is the system? Is there sufficient space? 
  3. How are other users behaving, and how does the agency ensure safe practices by riders? 
  4. Am I equipped to reduce my own exposure through PPE and other supplies?  
There is some good news here – transit agencies are doing a lot to reduce transmission

Ok, I know a lot more now. What can I do next to make commuting safer for my employees?  

  • Ensure they have accurate and current information on agency practices
  • Give employees the flexibility to modify their schedules to select lower-volume periods (can be one-off flexibility or modifying recurrent shifts)
  • Ensure they have quality PPE 
  • Provide extra tools to make them comfortable (personal hang-straps, hand sanitizer, etc.)
  • For remote-viable roles, allow employees the opportunity to continue to balance between remote and on-site work 
  • Support alternative commute options (it’s a great time to walk, bike, or scoot) 
  • Work with ASAP to provide commuting services to your employees or coordinate with your transit agency directly to help ensure sufficient capacity is in place before your employees return to transit commuting (more info below) 
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Additional Research

How risky is this, compared to this?

National Geographic has a great interactive visualization of transmission risk modeling built by a collaborative of academic experts nationwide. See how the train and bus compare to the office or classroom.

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The research is encouraging.

Research from around the world shows that transit has had little or no role in spreading COVID, and steps to reduce risk on transit through masking and ventilation have significant effects.

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See it for yourself.

To see how air moves around a train car and how impactful mask wearing is, check out this interactive article from the New York Times.

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Share With Your Employees

Your Guide to a Safe Transit Ride

Share our employee flyer with the ingredients for a safe commute. 

We’ve prepared the flyer with all the most essential information for your employees to navigate their transit trips with lower risk and greater confidence.  

It includes the highlights from this article and equips them to contact us with any questions or issues to take the pressure off you.

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This Was Made With You in Mind

Our team crafted this eBook to help you create a more balanced workday, even in the face of ever-changing circumstances. Learn how we can bring more support to your company right now.

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