Apr 30, 2020 By Mark Hofmann mhofmann@heraldstandard.Com 2 min read

Although ridership has been down since COVID-19 restrictions were instituted, Fayette Area Coordinated Transportation (FACT) is continuing to offer the same services to the public.

With stay-at-home orders, business closures and physicians practicing telemedicine, FACT ridership has seen a 70% drop on its fixed routes, and between a 60% to 70% drop on the company’s shared-ride service.

Kim Renze, FACT operations manager, said they combined some of the fixed routes to make up for the drop. The revised fixed-route schedule is available at www.factbus.com.

“It’s just temporary until things get back to normal,” Renze said.

Also on the website is information from the Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP) for those riders that use the program. Renze said MATP makes up a large portion of the share-ride program.

MATP has asked their clients to only go to necessary medical appointments. Clients have been instructed to call the physician’s office first and to inform the office if they or someone in their home has a fever higher than 100 degrees, any new respiratory conditions like a cough, shortness of breath and a sore throat or have been around anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 14 days.

Renze said the remaining riders are following the guidelines set forth by the state including social distancing and wearing a mask while riding the bus as a way to protect themselves, the drivers and other riders, especially those being transported to medical appointments for respiratory issues like COPD.

“If you have them, please wear them,” Renze said of the masks.

Renze said FACT employees are cleaning and disinfecting every bus in the fleet either at the end of the day or before the beginning of the day.

He added that while employee work schedules have been altered, everyone at FACT is still employed and still able to provide safe transportation to physicians who are still seeing patients in person, and businesses that are still open.

“We’re here for the public like we’ve always been,” Renze said.