NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The MTA on Wednesday announced that it has launched a pilot program to mount dispensers of free surgical masks inside buses aimed to further protect riders on board.
The MTA plans to roll out the pilot across every borough on more than 20 routes and 400 buses by the end of August and has already installed dispensers on 100 buses on six bus routes in three boroughs.
Currently, passengers on the X63, X64 and X68 express routes in Queens, the Bx12 SBS, and Bx41 SBS routes in the Bronx, and the S53 Staten Island local route can access the free masks from plastic dispensers which are mounted at the rear doors of the SBS and local buses, and at the front door of express buses.
"This is another important way we are coming up with solutions to ensure customers can conveniently obtain a mask if they have lost or forgotten their own when they board our buses," President of the MTA Bus Company and Senior Vice President of Buses for MTA New York City Transit Craig Cipriano said. "When you wear a face covering on public transit you're doing so out of respect for your fellow passengers and the health and safety of our bus operators. Plus it's the law."All MTA employees and passengers are required to wear a mask while riding public transportation and customers are urged to only take one from the dispenser.
Each dispenser holds approximately 50 surgical masks and will be refilled daily.Recently, the MTA announced "Operation Respect," a new MTA initiative consisting of volunteers called the "Mask Force" that will distribute masks directly to customers throughout the subways, buses, and commuter rails.The state of New York has provided the MTA with an additional million masks for distribution, on top of the previous two million masks donated by both the city and state during the COVID-19 pandemic.
