Transit & The COVID-19 Pandemic: Resources, Research & Bibliographies

In an ongoing effort to inform our Metro family and researchers far and wide, we are collecting, preserving, and providing access to a number of disparate resources regarding transportation and the COVID-19 pandemic.

This Metro Primary Resources page serves as a clearinghouse of relevant, authoritative information. Here, you will find links to scholarly research from think tanks and researchers, best practices and guidance from government and industry entities, and pertinent articles from research databases.

We will be updating the page on a regular basis to create a body of knowledge that will be useful long after the crisis has passed.

Los Angeles Metro and Region

Los Angeles Metro Tracks COVID-19 Cases (confirmed cases of COVID-19 among employees and contractors, updated regularly)

A Path Forward: Metro’s Recovery Task Force Progress Report I (June 8, 2020)

Transit Keeping The Lines Open for Those on the Front Lines (video : California Transit Association : 29 April 2020)

Metrolink COVID-19 Customer Survey: Summary of Findings (April, 2020)

Metro’s Mobility-On-Demand Service Now Running Point-to-Point Trips Within Service Zones (Metro’s The Source : March 25, 2020)

Metro Coordinating with L.A. County Department of Public Health On Response to Coronavirus (video : March 6, 2020)

California Transit Association: Coronavirus Awareness Resources (regularly updated list, including specific transit agency ridership declines, revenue declines, estimated financial impacts, and reductions in service)

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

What Bus Transit Operators Need To Know About COVID-19

Including:

  • “As a Bus Transit Operator, How Can I Protect Myself?”
  • “What Steps Should My Employer Take?”

What Rail Transit Operators Need to Know About COVID-19

Including:

  • “As a Rail Transit Operator, How Can I Protect Myself?”
  • “What Steps Should My Employer Take?”

What Transit Maintenance Workers Need to Know About COVID-19

Including:

  • “As a Transit Maintenance Worker, How Can I Protect Myself?”
  • “Which Transit Vehicle Surfaces Should Be Cleaned? What Are the Best Cleaning Chemicals to Use When Cleaning?”
  • “What Steps Should My Employer Take?”

What Transit Station Workers Need to Know About COVID-19

Including:

  • “As a Transit Station Worker, How Can I Protect Myself?”
  • “Which Transit Station Surfaces Should Be Cleaned? What are the Best Cleaning Chemicals to Use When Cleaning?”
  • “What Steps Should My Employer Take?”

CDC Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019

CDC COVID-19 website

CDCINFO: 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) | TTY: 1-888-232-6348 | website: www.cdc.gov/info

From the Transportation Research Board (TRB)

Transportation & COVID-19: Practices from other Disease Outbreaks (webinar video : March 23, 2019)

ACRP Report 91: Infectious Disease Mitigation in Airports and on Aircraft (2013)

ACRP Synthesis 83: Preparing Airports for Communicable Diseases on Arriving Flights (2017)

NCFRP Research Report 39: Freight Transportation resilience in Response to Supply Chain Disruptions (2019)

NCHRP Report 769: A Guide for Public Transportation Pandemic Planning and Response (2014)

NCHRP 931: A Gude to Emergency Management at State Transportation Agencies (2017)

TCRP Legal Research Digest 50: Public Transit Emergency Preparedness Against Ebola and Other Infectious diseases: Legal issues (2017)

TRB’s Conference Proceedings 55: Airport Roles in Reducing Transmission of Communicable Diseases (2018)

From American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

Public Transit Response to Coronavirus or COVID-19

Cleaning and Disinfecting Transit Vehicles and Facilities During a Contagious Virus Pandemic (APTA Standards Development Program White Paper : June 22, 2020)

CARES Act Provides $25 Billion for Public Transit (March 26, 2020)

PowerPoint Presentation: $25 Billion for Public Transit for COVID-19 (March 25, 2020)

From the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases and 21st Century Health Threats (Informs the federal government on critical science and policy issues related to emerging infectious diseases and other 21st century health threats)

Transportation in the Face of Communicable Disease (bibliography of bibliographies and other resources)

Funding Transportation Through the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic (bibliography of bibliographies and other resources)

Building Transportation Supply Chain Resilience After a Pandemic

Interagency-Aviation Industry Collaboration on Planning for Pandemic Outbreaks (2008)

From the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) (bibliography of bibliographies and other resources, as well as USDOT press releases, blog posts, and announcements)

Notice of Enforcement Discretion: Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan Regulation (April 22, 2020)

From the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)

Coronavirus Resources at the Department of Transportation

From the National Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP)

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Information and Resources for Transit

Scholarly Research

Dynamic searches for resources in the Transportation Research International Database (TRID) by searching:

Securing Safe Transit: Before & After COVID-19 (Dream Corps, Green for All Issue Brief : June 17, 2020)

Back On Board: A Guide to Safe(r) Transit in the Era of COVID-19 (Tri-State Transportation Campaign : June 10, 2020)

Essential Transit: How Essential Workers in the San Diego Region Continue to Rely on Transit While Responding to COVID-19 (Circulate San Diego : April 23, 2020)

Select Articles

A Resource Guide to Coronavirus for Government Leaders (Government Technology : Updated regularly). Extensive list of resources for state and local governments.

TRB Looks at How Transportation May Change Due to COVID-19 (AASHTO Journal : May 29, 2020)

COVID’s Differing Impact on Transit Ridership (ENO Center for Transportation : April 24, 2020)

Revealed: Nearly 100 US Transit Workers Have Died of COVID-19 Amid Lack of Basic Protections (The Guardian : April 20, 2020)

Resilient Transportation Research for COVID-19 (METRANS Transportation Center : April 10, 2020)

Transportation for Pandemic Response (TPR) COVID-19 Mobility Services (King County Metro via APTA : April 7, 2020) and Supplemental Statement of Work

Transit is Essential: 2.8 Million U.S. Essential Workers Ride Transit to Their Jobs (TransitCenter : March 24, 2020)

Websites

IOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic website

OSHA COVID-19 website

Videos and Podcasts

The Impacts of COVID-19 on Public Transit with Paul Skoutelas, APTA President and CEO (28 April 2020)

Transportation & COVID-19: Practices from other Disease Outbreaks (webinar video : March 23, 2019)

From the American Library Association

Coronavirus Pandemic (2019-2020) 

This page from the ALA Center for the Future of Libraries seeks to compile information about the possible near- and long-term implications for the current coronavirus pandemic. It includes information about the possible ways communities will respond to the pandemic and implications for specific areas of society.