THE COMET QUARANTINES DRIVER AFTER POSITIVE COVID-19 TEST

(July 10, 2020) Columbia, SC – The Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority (The COMET) announced today that a driver of Transportation Care Services (TCS), which operates DART and is a subcontractor of RATP Dev USA, Inc., has tested positive for coronavirus during the routine mandatory testing of all employees. The driver was immediately sent home to quarantine and passengers recently on this driver’s route were immediately notified of possible exposure and advised to get tested.

Since the start of the pandemic, The COMET has put in place some of the most stringent cleaning and safety measures in the transit industry. Daily disinfection of all vehicles and facilities has been implemented for months and mandatory masks or face coverings to ride The COMET buses or enter facilities went into effect early last month. The COMET was also in the process of securing and installing barriers between the drivers and passengers in order to minimize the possibility of any exposure. A temporary plastic barrier was installed on some smaller vehicles as a pilot while the organization solicited bids from companies that specialize in the barriers needed for buses and vans.

“The safety of our bus operators, our riders and the public is top of mind, especially during this pandemic,” said John Andoh, Executive Director/CEO of The COMET. “We are constantly exploring newer and better ways to ensure that we protect staff and passengers so that they can travel as safely as possible.”

In addition to the mandatory mask policy, drivers were also given face shields to further protect themselves and their passengers.

“We acted swiftly, responsibly and in good faith to minimize any possible exposure. We have implemented temperature stations in the administration lobby so that our drivers and staff are checked daily before their shift. Along with the daily sanitizing of our facilities, the mandatory mask requirements and other measures, we believe we have done our part to reduce the possibility of spread,” added Andoh. “Because we enforced masks and other safety measures, as well as limiting interactions with the drivers, the likelihood of exposure from the driver is minimal. We have contacted all individuals who were on the route in question within the past 14 days and encouraged them to self-isolate and get tested at their earliest convenience. We continue to disinfect daily and enforce strong safety measures for the health of our passengers, drivers and staff.”

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About The COMET:  The COMET is a service of the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority and provides countywide public transit services on 34 fixed routes, five ReFlex services, vanpool service for commuters, subsidy programs with Uber and Lyft and DART for transportation to grocery stores and at night, ADA complementary paratransit service throughout Richland and portions of Lexington Counties and eight Blue Bike bikeshare stations in Downtown Columbia. The COMET transports approximately 2.8 million passenger trips a year on a fleet of more than 80 buses, vans and trolleys. Transit services are provided under contract with RATP Dev USA, Inc., Enterprise Holdings, Lyft, Uber and Bewegen. For additional The COMET information, please call (803) 255-7100, TDD/TTY: 711 through the relay service, email: info@catchthecomet.org or visit www.catchthecomet.org.

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