Valley Metro says bus driver tested positive for COVID-19

PHOENIX – A bus driver with the Phoenix-area transit system has tested positive for COVID-19, authorities said Wednesday.

The driver last worked March 21, according to a spokesperson for First Transit, a company contracted by Valley Metro to operate some services.

As a matter of privacy, no details about the driver’s routes were released.

Valley Metro, the Phoenix area’s transit system, said the employee is in self-quarantine and will remain there until cleared by doctors.

First Transit said any employees found to have had close contact with the driver will be sent home for self-isolation.

The company also said the bus was removed from service to be disinfected, while daily cleaning procedures have already been taking place during the coronavirus outbreak, which had infected more than 800 people and killed 11 in Maricopa County as of Wednesday morning.

Valley Metro said it has implemented protocols to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, including daily fleet disinfecting.

The Phoenix-area transit system has also urged drivers and riders to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, including frequent hand washing and physical distancing.

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