COVID-19 Safety Guidelines and Operations Update
Your Safety Is Our Priority
At OCTA, our top priority is the health and safety of our riders and employees. We continue to take guidance
from federal, state and local health experts and government leaders and we ask you to please follow Gov.
Gavin Newsom’s order to stay at home to help stop the spread of COVID-19. OC Bus service has been reduced
but will continue to be available for those who are required to go out for essential activities.
NATIONAL SAFETY PLEDGE
OCTA has taken the pledge to support the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Health & Safety Commitments Program promising ongoing vigilance and development of innovative solutions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and keep transit users and employees safe.
What you should know about OC Bus, OC Flex, Metrolink and transit connections.
The following will provide answers to many of the questions you may about OCTA’s response and actions related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We will update it as necessary, so please check back..
1. How has OC Bus been impacted?
OCTA has implemented temporary service reductions to regular OC Bus service until further notice. OC Bus is operating on the Saturday schedule (Monday through Saturday), while also increasing service on routes to accommodate social distancing and providing weekday service on some local routes. Regular Sunday service has resumed, and StationLink routes are currently continuing to operate on the regular Monday through Friday schedule to connect with Metrolink trains.
2. Are face coverings required for passengers?
Wearing a face covering is now required statewide. A face covering must be worn while waiting for and riding OC Bus. Face coverings can help slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of fellow passengers and drivers.
Face coverings are available for free to passengers at the OCTA Store, 600 S. Main Street in Orange, during the current modified business hours, weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
OCTA is also piloting a program to provide riders with free face coverings on a limited number of routes. Face covering dispensers have now been installed on buses on Routes 43, 66 and 543. As OC Bus begins to return to front-door boarding starting in late September, face covering dispensers will be installed on all buses.
3. What are other key tips for riding OC Bus during COVID-19?
Front-door boarding is returning. OCTA will begin updating buses with added safety measures, such as driver plexiglass shields, to allow you to board from the front of the bus. This will be a phased rollout beginning with Routes 43 and 543 and continue over the next two months until all buses in our fleet have been modified to help make you and our employees safe. During the phased rollout period, as your bus is pulling up, please check to see if the bus is boarding from the front or the rear doors. If your bus is still boarding from the rear, front door boarding will still be allowed for passengers with disabilities or those who require use of the ramp. Please have your fare ready when you board and please wear your face covering.
A bus pass is still required to ride OC Bus. Bus fare is not free while riding OC Bus. You’ll be required to show your bus pass upon request to the coach operator or transit police. Please purchase bus passes before you board. You can buy passes at Ralphs, Northgate, Vons or Pavilions grocery stores, the OCTA store, octa.net or on the OC Bus mobile app.
Please allow extra time when using OC Bus during busy times.
To help protect your health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, OCTA is temporarily limiting the number of people on board each OC Bus to allow for social distancing. Because of this, buses on some routes can reach capacity during certain times of the day and a bus may pass your stop with a sign in the front window that says, “Bus Full.” If a full bus passes you by, please wait for the next bus.
On the most heavily traveled routes, additional buses will follow one that is full. These routes can shift on a daily basis as we monitor ridership and try and add buses where they’re needed.
Some buses are full from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. These are the current routes that have additional buses: 1, 29, 37, 38, 42, 50, 53, 55, 57, 43, 47, 54, 60, 64, 66, 70, 89
Check to see if your bus has seats available by using the Transit App. This free digital mobile app will let you view the seating capacity of the buses on your route. Once you have the Transit App installed:
- Tap on a route for the “route detail view”
- Next, tap on the bus icon itself
This can help you plan your trip and have a smooth, safe trip on OC Bus.
This information is updated weekly. Please check back frequently to plan your trip.
Leave a row or a seat between yourself and other passengers when possible for proper social distancing.
The OCTA Store is currently operating reduced hours weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Please plan ahead before you ride. All adjusted routes and schedules can be found in our revised ebusbook.
Your health and well-being are important to us. We will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves and respond proactively, so you can have safe, reliable service in Orange County.
4. Is it safe to ride OC Bus?
OCTA is taking proactive measures to safeguard the health of OC Bus riders by enhancing the cleaning of buses in operation, applying anti-viral disinfectant to every bus daily and taking extra time to clean surfaces that are touched most frequently. OCTA is also encouraging social distancing on OC Buses whenever possible. In addition, hand sanitizer dispensers are now available on all fixed-route buses.
There are steps you can take to protect yourself from the virus. Based on advice from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention:
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Do not touch your face.
- Clean and disinfect items and surfaces that you touch frequently.
- Cough or sneeze into your elbow or use a tissue.
5. Has OC ACCESS paratransit service been impacted?
At this time, there are no changes to OC ACCESS paratransit service. It will continue to be available for regular service
to eligible passengers.
6. Is iShuttle service operating?
iShuttle service in Irvine and Tustin has been temporarily suspended until further notice.
7. Is OC Flex service operating?
Huntington Beach and Westminster: OC Flex has temporarily suspended service due to significantly low ridership.
Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel and Mission Viejo: OC Flex service will continue to operate until further notice.
8. Has Metrolink train service been impacted?
Metrolink weekday service has been reduced until further notice. Metrolink weekend service and Stationlink
will continue to operate as scheduled.
Visit https://metrolinktrains.com/temporary-service for schedule information.
9. Are the OCTA Store and OCTA Headquarters open?
The OCTA Store is open with reduced hours weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is located at 600 S. Main St. in Orange.
The majority of OCTA’s administrative employees have been working remotely since March 16 following the Governor’s orders, to promote social distancing and help curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus in our community.
10. Is the OCTA Lost and Found open?
The OCTA Lost and Found is closed to the public until further notice. Passengers who need to pick up
essential items, including medication and wallets, can contact us to arrange a time to retrieve those items.
The OCTA Lost and Found can be contacted by emailing LostandFound@octa.net, calling (714) 560-5934 or completing this
online
form.
Other travel considerations
You should not expect to experience any significant travel issues with Orange County freeways due to COVID-19. The following questions provide answers to some concerns raised over freeway travel throughout Orange County:
1. Are the 91 Express Lanes open?
The 91 Express Lanes will remain open to drivers as usual.
However, the 91 Express Lanes Customer Walk-In Center in Corona is closed until further notice. Customers
can manage their accounts and pay a violation online at www.91expresslanes.com. Customers can also call (800) 600-9191 to reach the Call
Center. Representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
2. Will any projects currently under construction be affected because of the health crisis?
Work continues on important OCTA-led freeway improvement projects and OC Streetcar at this time. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide an update if delays are expected. These activities are considered essential services by the state and federal government. In many cases, because of low traffic volumes on freeways and city streets, efforts are underway to increase construction with extended lane closures and work hours.
Your health and well-being are important to us. We will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves and respond proactively, so you can have safe, reliable service in Orange County.