SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Greyhound bus driver is who reached out to ABC10 said he's concerned the company isn't doing enough to keep its employees and passengers safe on rides during the coronavirus pandemic, by over packing buses and not enforcing mask policies.
The Sacramento-based driver, who wished to remain anonymous out of safety for his job, said he isn't the only driver who is concerned about "unsafe work conditions" that he's noticed. He said he's seen buses filled over capacity with passengers. Some of those passengers, he added, do not follow the company's mandatory mask policy due to "zero enforcement at the terminal."
“They use to let us keep the four front seats open so no one would sit there, but then they say there’s a lot of people, so [if] they pay for a ticket, they are getting on that bus or you are going to be suspended," the driver said. "So, those are the threats that we get."
As someone who drivers from multiple states, he's worried he's more susceptible to contracting the virus.
“We as transportation are the ones that are transporting the virus from state to state, that’s literally what we are doing,” the driver said.
ABC10 reached out to Greyhound regarding the concerns of the anonymous driver. A representative for the company said all passengers are required to wear a mask when boarding and throughout their trip. If a mask is lost or damaged, drivers are equipped with extras.
"We also allow drivers to keep the front row empty to create added social distancing in addition to a plexi-glass safety shield that is installed on all of our buses and acts as an additional barrier," the statement read. "Drivers also have the ability to refuse service to anyone who shows signs or symptoms of any contagious illness. While it is difficult to monitor the wearing of face coverings by customers while the driver is operating the bus, if a driver is aware of a passenger who refuses to wear a face covering, they can have the passenger removed."
In Sacramento, Greyhound said its seen decreased ridership. Recently, "buses in and out of Sacramento have all been under 75% capacity, some as low as 10%."
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