Miami-Dade cutting transit hours again as ridership dips during coronavirus pandemic
Miami-Dade County is reducing hours for the Metrorail and the Metromover again as ridership drops during the coronavirus pandemic.
Starting Saturday, Metrorail and Metromover will run 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, ending two hours earlier than they have been.
The county’s transit department announced the cuts Wednesday. They come as the number of riders continues to dip. Ridership is down by more than 60 percent.
The agency has encouraged people only to use public transit for essential travel. On trains and buses, riders are being urged to practice social distancing to combat the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Riders who need transit after 10 p.m. can use Metrobus Routes 246 and 500.
Miami-Dade Transit began cutting schedules and extending wait times on March 20. A string of emergency orders have increasingly urged county residents to stay at home as much as possible.
As the pandemic impacts all facets of everyday life, the operation of Miami-Dade’s sprawling government has been challenged as leaders work to keep public servants healthy and face global competition for supplies to keep workers safe. Transit is a crucial function that serves a population that needs buses and trains to get to the doctor or grocery store.
Efforts to prevent the spread of the virus on the transit system have been beefed up. Weeks ago, the department was giving each bus driver a single Clorox wipe before each shift. Now that fares have been suspended, buses have closed their front doors and passengers must board from the back.
This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 7:45 PM.
