Apr 20, 2022 4 min read

Area transit agencies quickly dropped face mask mandates for riders and drivers on all bus lines Tuesday after a federal judge vacated the nationwide requirement on public transportation.

The decision late Monday by the federal district judge in Florida came as a surprise to many local transit officials as the mask mandate on planes, trains, buses and other public vehicles was set to remain in place until May 3, nearly two years after airline passengers were required to wear masks at airports and while on flights at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has required people on all forms of public transit to wear masks since January 2021, but now regional transportation agencies here are leaving it up to individual passengers and drivers to decide whether to mask up while on board buses.

The decision came to a relief to many transit directors, as the mandate has sometimes caused issues between passengers and bus drivers trying to enforce the order.

“It’s been a very tumultuous two years. We’ve heard many reasons why passengers can’t wear one, mainly for medical reasons,” Greene County Transportation Administrator Rick Blaker said. “Our drivers’ priority is to drive the bus safely from point A to point B. … We couldn’t go around asking everyone for a doctor’s excuse not to wear one. It was a stressful time over the last two years, but we’re happy to move on.”

The CDC’s mask order has been extended multiple times over the past few weeks. Most recently, it was set to expire March 18, but was extended until April 13 and then again until May 3. So while the decision Monday to vacate the mandate was unexpected, the transit agencies were preparing for it to expire soon nonetheless.

“Every step of the way we reminded our passengers (of the regulations), but we’ll remind them again it’s optional,” Blaker said. “Every time there was a change, we did post things on the buses and the drivers reminded passengers. We’ve been keeping them advised as we found out … of every change.”

Alexandra Sakalik, the spokeswoman for the Washington County Transportation Authority that operates Freedom Transit, said they were surprised by the change but were preparing to drop the mandate because it was expected to expire in two weeks.

“Of course, it’s something that we’ve been talking about once the mask mandate was lifted, what we would do?” Sakalik said. “You could say we were surprised.”

But that doesn’t mean transit agencies aren’t still encouraging people to wear masks while on board. Sakalik said they understand there are riders who still may want to wear masks if they have health issues or if they feel uncomfortable in crowded spaces. But the agency is also strongly suggesting that its drivers on paratransit buses continue to wear masks because of the confined space and potential health problems of the riders who use them.

Fayette Area Coordinated Transport Director Jimmie Lane did not respond to a phone message seeking comment, although the transit agency in Fayette County posted on social media that it would no longer require masks.

“If you would like to wear a mask please feel free to do so. Safe Travels,” the social media post read.

The Port Authority of Allegheny County initially announced on social media Monday afternoon that it would keep its mask mandate in place despite the federal judge’s ruling, but reversed course later in the night and said masks would be optional for riders and employees.

With the unexpected decision and mixed messaging, many transit agencies moved quickly Tuesday morning to alert riders of the changes.

Ashley Seman, executive director of the Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority, said they posted information on their social media pages and website about lifting the mask requirement. They also notified drivers of the changes, updated their LED signs and were preparing to replace the signage at bus shelters.

The periodic spikes of new coronavirus cases over the past two years have made it difficult to know what will come next, but Seman said they’re ready to react if the situation changes again.

“It’s hard to predict, but again, we have all the procedures in place if needed,” Seman said. “We are going to continue go through all of the cleaning processes with the buses, keep up the sneeze guards for the drivers – that’s a permanent structure on the buses – and also have masks available for riders, if wanted.”