Orange County Transportation Authority buses will run on a Sunday schedule for a foreseeable future starting Monday, March 23, a move the agency says is necessary to protect its employees’ health amid the spread of the coronavirus.
OCTA has been requiring employees over 65 or with underlying health issues to stay at home, following state and federal guidelines. That has put a significant strain on the agency’s ability to run buses at the regular level, the agency said in a press release.
Furthermore, some employees are having to take care of their kids more as schools close across the county, the agency said.
OCTA also said it has seen a 60% drop in ridership over the past two weeks. On Thursday, March 19, fewer than 50,000 boarded OCTA buses, compared to a typical average weekday of 125,000, the agency said.
