After being shut down for more than a month due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Transit Windsor will resume service Monday morning.
The city came to a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 616 to resume service with a modified schedule and enhanced safety measures Friday.
Transit Windsor's Pat Delmore says passengers will enter the bus from the rear doors with the exception of those with special needs and will not have to pay a fare.
Delmore says the enhanced service is not for recreational trips during the state of emergency.
"We're really concerned about that, so we want to make sure that we are sharing that message. Please stay home unless you need to go out. This is for essential travel only," says Delmore.
Buses will be limited to 10 passengers plus one wheelchair rider to accomplish physical distancing set out by The Windsor Essex County Health Unit.
Extra buses will be sent to help out the busiest routes, but Delmore says there will still be delays.
"We're going to be expecting that riders will be bypassed. If a bus has 10 or the 11 passengers on board it will change the destination sign to say the bus is full and it will not stop at bus stops," he added.
Delmore says there will be signage clearly marking where people can sit on buses and stand at bus stops.
"We ask our passengers to please respect that signage. It is there as a requirement for us to have our service back in place," says Delmore.
Most routes will run on a Sunday schedule seven days a week — the bus to Leamington will not be running and service to LaSalle will be running on a Saturday schedule.
Routes not in operation include:
— with files from AM800's Rob Hindi.