My Ride to Work began following all recommended guidelines and measures from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and national / local government agencies during the first week of March 2020.  As we have been ramping operations, we are in a steady state and have ongoing measures that will be our regular protocol moving forward.

We have installed dividers between seats on all of our vehicles to serve as added protection to safety guidelines and reduce the spread of any germs.  We will continue pre-shift health screening for all drivers which includes temperature checks and general health/wellness screening questions.  We are continuing limitations for all vendors into our yard except for essentials such as fuel, cleaning, etc.

As a leader in the transportation industry for the Reno/Tahoe area, there is no higher priority than taking care of the health and safety of our passengers. We have continued to monitor and change operational efficiencies to align with all recommended guidelines from the Nevada Transportation Authority, national, state and local government agencies. 

Additionally, we have used this time to give back to our community and to partner with the United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra through their Delivering with Dignity program.  Our team started volunteering the first week and we delivered a total of 5,667 meals over the last 11 weeks.  We have been able to use our large vans for bulk delivery and smiles were delivered from our drivers face.  This experience allowed us to give back in such a disruptive time to our community and it is an effort we will continue. 

Below is a comprehensive list of the actions we are continuing as regular operating procedures to ensure the safety and health of our riders and ultimately the businesses of which we serve through transportation. 

FOR OUR RIDERS:

  • Plastic partitions have been installed between seats for additional safety
  • All passengers are required to wear facial coverings while on the MRTW vehicles
  • We have placed permanent sanitizer dispensers on each of our vehicles and keep them full for riders
  • We have disinfectant wipes on every bus for thorough cleaning of individual seating areas
  • We have placed signage on all buses with how to take precautions from spread of COVID-19
  • We have placed text and QR coded materials to let passengers know what we are doing to protect their health and safety
  • We have precautionary signs at each badge reader informing riders of actions to take to ensure ongoing safety
  • Each bus is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after every route
  • We have acquired and use Electrostatic Sprayer to spray vehicles down in between routes
  • Installed industry leading air purifying systems  
  • Drivers encourage the use of hand sanitizer when riders board
  • We have provided our riders a way of notifying drivers and our leadership team if they have concerns of a fellow passenger showing symptoms of COVID-19

 FOR OUR DRIVERS:

  • Plastic partitions have been installed behind the driver seats for additional safety
  • All drivers are temp checked and health screened before each shift
  • Additional hand washing station installed directly outside the dispatch area
  • All drivers are required to wear facial coverings while on the MRTW vehicles and in the yard
  • We have closed off first-row seats on each vehicle to add an extra layer social distancing to our drivers
  • We have increased our driver workforce to prepare for any absences
  • We are providing latex gloves and masks for our drivers
  • We have acquired and use Electrostatic Sprayer to spray vehicles down in between routes
  • Drivers are not allowed in the dispatch area to adhere to social distancing guidelines
  • We are fully disinfecting the driver area of each vehicle after each route completes a drop off
  • We are staying very close to our drivers and if anyone is under the weather or not feeling well, we are mandating them to stay home and they have been given step-by-step directions on how to utilize their Teladoc services during this time 
  • We have placed signage and reminders at all sinks and bathrooms to take precautions from spread of COVID-19

DEDICATED CLEANING CREW:

  • My Ride to Work has historically invested in a dedicated cleaning crew onsite at our vehicle yard
  • This team disinfects each vehicle pre and post trip as part of our daily process
  • Since the beginning of March, we have increased time spent on our sanitation process for each vehicle
  • Our team is deep cleaning all of our vehicles daily
  • We have acquired and use Electrostatic Sprayer to spray vehicles down in between routes
  • We have added additional cleaning staff dedicated to increased sanitation efforts
  • After each drop off, our vehicles are disinfected with wipe down solid surfaces that may be in high contact (i.e. after dropping off riders at their work location, drivers disinfect before new riders onboard)

SOCIAL DISTANCING:

  • Plastic partitions have been installed between rider and driver seats for additional safety
  • We have added additional shuttles to our fleet to accommodate and meet the social distancing requirements
  • Drivers are not allowed in the dispatch area to adhere to social distancing guidelines
  • All vehicles have posted signs on max occupancy during this time that meet social distancing mandates  
  • In early March, we reduced ridership by 50% and more recently, we have reduced ridership to 30% (i.e. on a   56-passenger bus, we are only allowing 18 passengers)
  • We closely monitor the pick-up and drop-off locations for gathering and encourage social distancing measures
  • We have replaced timeclocks with mobile app and have reduced surface contact within our dispatch area lowering the risk of exposure
  • Driver break room is disinfected daily and we have minimized the use of it between routes with closed packaging for food and drink, max occupancy, etc. 
  • Limited vendor access to our vehicle yard, dispatch office and business facility

It is our top priority to take care of our passengers, our drivers, our employees and all of their families and communities. We are here to help our riders, our customers and employees during this uncertain time.