HARTFORD, Conn. — They are frontline workers who are getting people where they need to go in Connecticut: Transit operators.
Right now, CTtansit ridership is at 60 percent of what it was before COVID-19.
Tuesday morning, employees were ready to hand out some 125,000 masks to riders at 17 locations around the state.
“It is my lifeline, I couldn’t get to work every morning if it wasn’t for the bus,” said Juan Vasquez of Hartford.
Vasquez relies on CTtransit busses every day. He says he feels good getting on board, “perfectly safe", and that the drivers are really good about making sure that riders have masks on.
Tuesday CTtransit teamed up with the Connecticut Department of Transportation to hand out free masks across the state to customers who need them.
“It is a good thing to do for the people, a lot of people need that kind of help out there, because some people don’t know where to go and don’t like to wear masks,” said Jerry Collins of East Hartford.
CTtransit employees in Hartford, New Haven and Stamford where just some of the people who joined the effort to fight the spread of COVID-19.
Vasquez says the driver he calls “Sunshine” is essential and had a message for the woman who gets him where he needs to go, “I would say thank you, thank you very much, she is very, very kind, she is very protective and very helpful.”
Face coverings are required on public transportation as part of the statewide effort to curb the Coronavirus.
The distribution has two times, one block from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., and the other 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Masks or face coverings are a requirement to ride on public transit after an executive order from Governor Ned Lamont was signed in April.
Here are the locations where the distributions will take place:
- Hartford – CTtransit Customer Service and Sales Outlet located at State and Market Streets, adjacent to the Old State House
- New Haven – CTtransit Customer Service and Sales Outlet located on the New Haven Green at Chapel Street,
- Stamford - CTtransit Customer Service and Sales Outlet located on the lower level of the Stewart B. McKinney Transportation Center in the passageway from North State Street
- Waterbury - Exchange Place (Downtown Center)
- Meriden – Meriden Railroad Station
- Estuary Transit District – Old Saybrook Train Station
- Greater Bridgeport Transit District – GBT Bus Station, 710 Water Street, Bridgeport
- Greater Hartford Transit District – One Union Place Hartford (Hartford Union Station)
- Greater New Haven Transit District – 1014 Sherman Ave location in Hamden
- Housatonic Area Regional Transit – 3 Kennedy Ave., Danbury
- Middletown Area Transit District – Middletown Bus Terminal
- Milford Transit District – Bus hub at the Post Mall 1202 Boston Post Rd, Milford
- Northwest Connecticut Transit District – Torrington Municipal Parking Lot (12 Daycoeton Place)
- Norwalk Transit District – Norwalk Transit Wheels Hub, Burnell Blvd.
- Southeast Transit District – 7AM – 9 AM at the New London Water Street Bus Stop (adjacent to AMTRAK/Shore Line East); 3 PM – 5 PM at the Norwich Transportation Center (10 Falls Avenue, Norwich)
- Valley Transit District – Derby/Shelton multimodal train station.
- Windham Regional Transit District – 3 PM – 5 PM at the Norwich Transportation Center (10 Falls Avenue, Norwich)
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