The Washington (DC) City Transit Authority (WMATA) in March banned passengers from entering local buses through the front door and occupying the first 10 seats.
This was done in order to protect drivers from possible coronavirus infection. But the rear doors, through which they were allowed to enter, do not have a toll collection device, so WMATA canceled this payment. And recently, the agency announced that it plans to extend the cancellation of bus fares until around spring 2021. True, WMATA said it could end up putting collection boxes at the back of the buses. Transport in the city runs on a Sunday shorter schedule every day, and the number of passengers on buses has decreased by more than 70 percent. In fiscal 2019, WMATA transported 124 million people on its buses. Transportation systems in the United States have been hit hard by home quarantine, which has dramatically reduced passenger numbers. Therefore, Congress gave them $ 25 billion in aid, including WMATA received more than a billion from the US Department of Transportation.