Savannah, Ga. – Chatham Area Transit plans to maintain the existing reduced schedule and safety measures implemented in response to COVID-19 pandemic for the next several weeks, even though Governor Brian Kemp’s executive order will allow some businesses to reopen starting this Friday.
The reduced services and safety measures will continue in order to comply with social distancing and safety measures that continue to be recommended by health agencies and local government officials. Plus, CAT’s leadership team will need time to plan for ramping up services and contacting bus operators and other employees who have been sheltering in place due to COVID-19.
“With respect to the governor, we’re going to do what we feel is right for our employees and our passengers,” said interim Executive Director/CEO Michael J. Brown. “We’re going to take a cautious approach as we work on plans for restoring services prior to the outbreak in our community.”
CAT also will continue to waive fares to minimize operator and public contact. Customers should continue getting on and off the bus using the rear entrance unless they have disabilities that require them to use the front door with its kneeling function and wheel chair ramp. In addition, customers should continue using cloth face coverings if they are not wearing masks while riding the bus or using CAT Mobility.
Until normal operating schedules are restored, customers should only use CAT services, including fixed-route buses and CAT Mobility paratransit, for essential trips such as medical appointments, grocery shopping and work. This is especially important since CAT buses are operating at 50-percent their capacity in order to allow passengers to spread out and meet social distancing requirements, Brown said.
“Getting a haircut or tattoo is not considered essential, and such unnecessary trips could prevent someone who truly needs to use the bus, such as a healthcare worker, from being picked up,” Brown said.
The revised bus operating hours are 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Sundays. The modified schedule for each route is available online at http://catchacat.org/modified-bus-schedules/.