Communicating With Transit Riders About COVID-19

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By now you’ve heard of COVID-19, the coronavirus that is confirmed in over 100 countries, including the United States. At the time we’re publishing this post, there are currently over 800 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, and the CDC is anticipating this number will grow in the near future.

The severity of symptoms of COVID-19 varies from mild symptoms to severe illness and death, and older adults appear to be at higher risk of getting very sick from the illness.

COVID-19 is serious, but there are steps individuals can take to keep themselves and others healthy. Transit providers can play an important role in keeping their communities healthy by disseminating public service announcements. These PSAs can promote individual actions that may help to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Transit providers with GMV technology have access to a number of rider communication tools that they can use to instantly push out important public health information, including:

  • Digital signs at bus stops and transit centers

  • Audio-visual announcement systems (AVAS) on buses

  • Infotainment screens on buses

  • Rider notifications on mobile apps

Transit providers with digital signs, for example, can rapidly share public health information on signs across their system using our Messages tool. In this example we’ll share some of the CDC’s recommended preventative actions:

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The relevant content for COVID-19 public service announcements may vary by community. Your state and local departments of public health will have resources and guidelines for how to communicate about the disease.

We’ve also gathered a few national resources that may be helpful in creating your message:

While COVID-19 is serious, transit providers can play an important role in keeping their communities healthy. With proactive and informative messages, transit providers can help prevent the spread of the disease.

Guest User