How to Safely Travel on Mass Transit During Coronavirus

As lockdowns start to ease, trains, buses and planes are becoming an even greater focus of anxiety, with larger numbers of people considering when and how to resume travel. Larger crowds could pose a greater risk to both essential workers who may have been using transit all along, and the others who may start to join them. What factors most affect your risk of catching Covid-19 while using mass transit? CityLab talked to several experts about both the dangers and necessary precautions.

When it comes to staying safe on mass transit, one piece of advice outweighs any other: Do whatever you can to stay at a safe distance from other people. The same six-feet rule applies as elsewhere, and the safest form of transit is always the one that makes this easiest. Dr. Simon Clark, associate professor of microbiology at the University of Reading, cautions against focusing too narrowly on balancing one mode against another.