March 31, 2021
Over the past year, Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) has implemented over 30 different public health measures to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and help keep transit riders safe and healthy on the transit system. One of our latest public health enhancements is the installation of new germ-killing seats on approximately two-thirds of Edmonton’s LRT fleet (the newer LRT cars).
A germ-killing additive has been incorporated directly into the seat plastic and can reduce up to 99.9 per cent of germs (i.e. bacteria, fungus and viruses). The seats will also be easier to clean and maintain, and are expected to last the remaining life of the LRT cars.
“Health and safety continues to be our primary focus, and these new germ-killing LRT seats complement all of the other public health measures we have in place, like enhanced daily cleaning and disinfecting of transit vehicles and transit property,” said Craig McKeown, Director, LRT Operations and Maintenance, ETS. “We’re continually looking to incorporate innovative health measures to keep Edmontonians safe.”
Funding for the new LRT seats largely came from other orders of government, most notably from the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF).
Outbreaker Solutions pilot project update
This past January, ETS and a local biotechnology company, Outbreaker Solutions, began a pilot project involving the installation of germ-killing push-plates on entrance and exit manual swing doors at some LRT stations and transit centres. To date, push-plates have been installed on doors at Bay/Enterprise, Central, University, Health Sciences/Jubilee and Southgate stations. This pilot project is at no cost to taxpayers, and will continue until this summer when results will be evaluated.
Edmontonians should still continue to follow all COVID-19 related safety precautions, including practicing good hand hygiene before and after using transit, physical distancing when possible, as well as wearing a mask or face covering on transit and at transit facilities.
The risk of COVID-19 transmission on public transit continues to be low, and we’d like to thank Edmontonians for continuing to wear a mask and complying with public health guidelines.
