#Thread: Despite the risk of the #coronavirus in public places, people are still boarding public buses and trains because they have no other options to get to work, go shopping and fill prescriptions.
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: @heidi_demarco https://khn.org/MTEwNjQ5OQ


Mary Pierson, 69, uses a wheelchair and relies on public transportation to get around. She takes the bus a few times a week from Long Beach to various parts of Los Angeles to run errands and shop for groceries.
: @heidi_demarco

She’s also often alone on the bus. Transit ridership has plummeted since mid-March, when states began imposing stay-at-home orders. The L.A. Metro, said ridership has fallen 64% on buses — about 1.2 million people rode them each day before COVID-19 hit.
: @heidi_demarco

Because of the low ridership numbers, social distancing is usually not a problem on buses, said L.A. Metro bus driver Voris Lombard. “When people get on the bus, they have plenty of room to sit.”
: @heidi_demarco
