Port Authority to install air and surface purifiers in Allegheny County buses

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — 700 Port Authority buses, and all 80 light rail cars, are getting air and surface purification devices.

The goal is to create a healthier and safer environment for passengers and employees.

“We saw this with the airlines. When they started flying again, they started recirculating the air a lot more. The old air out, and the new air in,” Dr. Brian Lamb said.

Dr. Lamb with Allegheny Health Network thinks this is a big step forward in making shared spaces safer in public transportation.

“This isn’t just COVID. This is the flu, the cold. Anytime you’re close to people when you’re in a closed area, you’re breathing their air. The air on the bus, the air on the plane. That is a shared commodity,” he added.

More than half of the buses in the fleet have them so far.

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“Hopefully this will help reduce the number of viral particles on the buses. We know people still have to travel, they have to use public transit, so this is another step to keep them safe, and also the drivers,” Dr. Lamb said.

Crews are in the process of completing all of the installations on buses, and will start on T-cars next year.