Business
MTU buses could get new safety equipment soon
Many types of mass transportation in America have taken a big hit from COVID-19 this year, with large numbers of travelers avoiding rides in confined spaces on planes, trains, and buses.
The La Crosse MTU hopes to fix that, by installing new safety equipment on city buses.
Transit manager Adam Lorentz says government emergency funding also will help make up for losses from a shortage of riders, noting that the bus system is down to about 60 to 75 per cent of normal ridership this year.
MTU went for much of the year letting people ride for free.
Air filtration and barriers will be installed in local buses, and funded by Washington, if the city council approves the plan in January.
The MTU normally carries about 1 million passengers a year on its routes, which include La Crosse, Onalaska, and La Crescent.