Funds from a COVID-19 grant program will be aimed at improving exposure mitigation, contactless payment and other measures used to strengthen riders’ confidence in using the transit system during and after the pandemic.

 Rebecca Sasnett / Arizona Daily Star 2020

The pandemic has highlighted the need for Tucson’s transportation officials to explore important transit system improvements that keep riders safe.

Officials will look for ways to prevent unnecessary close interaction between people with a $600,000 grant from the Federal Transportation Administration’s “Public Transportation COVID-19 Research Demonstration Grant Program.”

The money will go toward exposure mitigation, contactless payment and other measures used to strengthen riders’ confidence in using the transit system during and after the pandemic.

The Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility is partnering with Sun Tran to “upgrade fare boxes to accept all touchless payment forms, install automatic wheelchair securement stations for non-ambulatory passengers, and design contactless services to promote rider confidence,” the department said.

Transit vehicles are being cleaned every day to prevent exposure to the virus. Cleaners are using fogging machines to apply an industrial-grade disinfectant to the vehicles.

“Every night we disinfect all handrails, all grab bars, all poles, all pull cords, all press tapes on the vehicles. We do that in the Sun Tran, the Sun Link and Sun Van,” a Sun Tran statement said.

Drivers have disinfecting wipes and sanitizer to keep work areas clean, especially regularly touched areas such as the steering wheel and control area.

All fares for Sun Tran, Sun Link and Sun Van services have been waived to support riders during the pandemic. Passengers still must obtain a SunGO Card or a ticket.

“It’s obviously a larger issue with the system we operate, where people are entering into a vehicle (bus, street car, paratransit van), it was imperative that we reduce as much interaction as possible,” said Rhett Crowninshield, the department of transportation and mobility’s transit administrator.

Crowninshield said the changes have helped get riders back to using the transit system.

“Riders were initially concerned about getting the virus by sharing close quarters with other riders,” said Crowninshield. “Given the hard work of our team, in terms of cleaning the vehicles, keeping bus stops clean, keeping transit centers clean, these fears subsided to a large degree.

And more plans are already in motion to create a more “robust” system for passengers, according to Crowninshield.

“From a contactless point of view, while we have implemented programs via the PassPort and GoTucson apps, allowing for contactless payment, we needed a more robust system, and this grant will allow for significant movement in the process,” he said.

The systems currently allow a rider to use those phone apps following payment to scan a QR code that is read on the bus or Sun Link street car.

However, one of the biggest challenges with the contactless payments when fares are reinstated will be getting riders to recognize these improved processes over using cash, thus reducing the number of close interactions while riding transit.

“Many of our riders still like to pay with cash, and some don’t have cell phones, or may not have smart phones,” Crowninshield said.

The first point transit officials will try to make is to inform riders with marketing materials inside buses and other transit vehicles.

The Douglas Spring Trail is a 16.6-mile out and back hike into Saguaro National Park East and the Rincon Mountains. The trailhead is at the eastern end of Speedway and open to access 24 hours a day. Elevation gain is about 3,700 feet. Difficulty varies, but is generally moderate. Video by Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star 2020

Those who don’t want to stop using cash will still be able to use cash.

“We don’t want to refuse them service by pushing them into an app on their phone,” said Crowninshield. “We look at trying to make it as easy as possible for the riders so it’s not complex.”

An improvement that is set in stone is improving the experience for riders using wheelchairs.

The grant will help install new equipment in vehicles to allow riders to be strapped in without needing help from the driver.

Sun Van, established in 1987 for paratransit, provides more than 500,000 passenger trips annually, the company’s website said.

“It helps with speed of boarding, No. 1.

“No. 2, it provides the rider with another level of independence. They don’t feel like they’re having to be taken care of, and that’s a big thing to a lot of our riders,” Crowninshield said.

Down the Road

Overnight delays incoming at I-10, Houghton Road: Overnight delays are expected each weeknight this week as crews continue work on the Interstate 10/ Houghton Road interchange.

Crews will reroute one direction of I-10 over the entrance and exit ramps due to bridge work. The other direction of I-10 will be reduced to a single lane. Motorists should expect 15-minute delays near the ramps.

Crews will work from 9:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.

Overnight closures for I-19 in Nogales: Motorists should prepare for full overnight closures this week as crews continue work on northbound Interstate 19 and the off ramp at Mariposa Road, or Arizona 189.

Northbound I-19 between Arizona 189 and Grand Avenue will be closed overnight Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Each closure is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. and end by 6 a.m. the following morning.

Drivers who need to travel north toward Tucson can use the I-19 frontage road or Grand Avenue.

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Contact Star reporter Shaq Davis at 573-4218 or sdavis@tucson.com

On Twitter: @ShaqDavis1