Air Quality in Transit Buses (2023)
Chapter: Keynote Speakers
Keynote Speakers
Herold Humphrey, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
Richard Gonzalez, Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Herold Humphrey and Richard Gonzalez introduced air quality concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic and the successes and challenges faced by the transit industry.
Humphrey reviewed a timeline of the pandemic and noted that the transit ridership dropped in April 2020 by 80% and that, even now, ridership is still down roughly 60% across the industry.
Gonzalez noted his belief that transit agencies need to show that the industry has a concern for the safety of operators, mechanics, and customers through transparent cleaning policies. At the beginning of the pandemic, transit agencies worked to ensure operators had effective barriers and distributed personal protective equipment to the public in the form of disinfectants and masks. Transit agencies had to overcome supply chain challenges and had to learn about new products and technologies to improve air quality. Moving into the future, transit agencies should continue to improve cleaning the air and measuring the effectiveness of different cleaning methods, because what is measurable is controllable.
