MARION (WSIL) -- Since Illinois' stay-at-home order went into effect, most residents are only going out to work or buy essential items.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking residents across the U.S. to practice social distancing--- which staying at least six feet away from others.
Rides Mass Transit District (RMTD) is practicing that process and has been for the past week, says operations manager Jeffrey Drake. One solution RMTD came up with was adding more buses to densely populated areas.
Places like Carbondale, Marion and Harrisburg are seeing more bus routes amid a 25% drop in RMTD ridership, according to Drake. With fewer people riding the bus, adding another route made it easier to spread riders apart.
"We do let people know that there will be a bus right behind within the next 20 to 30 minutes," Drake said.
Drivers are taking on more responsibilities too like wiping down seats and handle bars multiple times a day. Drake is also contacting similar agencies across Illinois to see how they're handling social distancing.
"It's kind of the mantra 'never let a good crisis go to waste'," Drake said. "We're learning how to deal with things we maybe never thought we'd have to deal with."
RMTD serves 18 counties across parts of southeastern and east-central Illinois.
