We are asking our riders to follow carefully-designed boarding and exiting patterns in order to maximize the amount of space between riders and minimize the need for riders to pass one another, even momentarily, in close quarters.
1. Riders are asked to allow for more than 6 feet of space between themselves and the rider in front of them when getting on and off the shuttle.
There are at least three things wrong with this picture. Can you name them all?
2. Whenever everyone on the shuttle is headed to the same destination, riders can seat themselves by heading to the lowest-numbered seat available, as far to the back of the bus as possible.
The first rider onto the shuttle goes all the way to the back and sits in Seat #1.
Riders have filled in Seats #1 through #6, leaving #7 and #8 for riders who might board later.
This is a situation that our boarding patterns are designed to avoid! The first rider onto the shuttle sat in Seat #7, forcing the next rider to unnecessarily pass them within close quarters.
3. Whenever riders are headed to different destinations, a Shuttle Attendant (at Alewife Station) or Driver (at Waltham Center & Newton Highlands) assigns each rider a seat immediately prior to boarding.
Riders headed to the last stop on the route will be asked to board first and assigned a seat at the back of the bus. Riders headed to the first stop on the route will be asked to board last and assigned a seat at the front of the bus.
There are only three riders on this trip, so the Shuttle Attendant or Driver maximized the space by seating the riders in Seats #1, #4, and #7.
4. Upon reaching their destination, riders are asked to remain seated and let the riders ahead of them (in higher-numbered seats) exit first.
The rider from Seat #8 gets off the shuttle first. The other riders remain seated until their turn to exit.
The rider from Seat #4 is exiting the shuttle. The rider from Seat #3 waited to stand up until the rider ahead of them was almost to the door.
This is another situation that our boarding patterns are designed to avoid. The rider from Seat #6 is exiting the shuttle prior to the riders in Seat #7 and Seat #8, unnecessarily passing them within close quarters.