Cowichan Valley the latest area to receive full driver doors on BC Transit buses

BC Transit passengers in the Cowichan Valley will be the latest network on Vancouver Island to receive safety upgrades to buses amid COVID-19.

The transit authority has announced that buses in the Cowichan Valley will be equipped with full driver doors – a movable barrier located to the right of the driver’s seat near the fare box – designed for the increased health and safety of bus operators.

The new doors retrofit onto the array of fleet buses and installations will begin in the coming days, says BC Transit.

The doors, which were designed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, include a “transparent piece of laminated tempered glass with anti-glare coating and metal base and the window can be adjusted to account for sightlines associated with different seat positions,” says BC Transit in a press release.

Full driver door installations will be carried out over roughly a three-day period, according to the transit organization. The new doors will replace the current vinyl panels installed as protective barriers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. T

The smaller community and handyDART buses will continue to be equipped with vinyl panels in the meantime.

BC Transit adds that a total of 633 buses across 34 transit systems throughout the province will be retrofitted by early October as the authority continues to implement heightened safety measures amid COVID-19.

All future new buses in the fleet will arrive with the door pre-installed.

Earlier this week, BC Transit announced its plan to bring driver doors to buses in the Comox Valley and Port Alberini as well.

Riders in the Cowichan Valley will not experience any impact on the service levels during the installation process.

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