Township buses get special care

Cleansed after use; ill seniors to skip rides

By Steve Metsch

The coronavirus has led to a heightened sense of awareness for everyone, including the Township of Lyons senior services department, which provides buses that take residents to and from doctors’ offices, grocery stores and other appointments.

“We disinfect the buses daily, so we wipe all the surfaces down,” Quinn Corcoran, director of senior transportation for the township, said.

The buses are disinfected multiple times each day, after each group of passengers disembark, he said.

“We use bleach wipes and Lysol spray,” Corcoran said. “If someone wants, we have gloves, hand sanitizers, even masks for people to wear.”

Quinn Corcoran said the buses used for Township of Lyons seniors are regularly cleansed after usage. Photo by Steve Metsch.

And if someone is showing symptoms of being ill, like coughing, measures are taken.

“We ask them to wear a mask when they’re on the bus and we ask them to refrain from riding the bus until their symptoms are gone.

“When people are making reservations, I’ll ask ‘Are you showing any symptoms? Are you coughing?’ If they are, we ask them to stay home until they are symptom free,” he said.

Those seniors who live on their own and unable to ride the bus because they are ill do get assistance.

“We’ll help them by going out and picking up groceries for them and helping them out anyway we can. We try to get them the help they need if they can’t use the bus.

While no one knows how long the coronavirus will dominate our everyday lives, there’s no doubt the township’s bus services is a smashing success. Corcoran is booking bus rides for seniors through December, said township trustee Colleen Kelly said at the board’s meeting on March 10.

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Steve Metsch

Steve Metsch is an award winning veteran reporter who previously worked for the Daily Southtown Newspapers, Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. Metsch is a writer and editor at the Southwest News Newspaper group based in suburban Chicago, and a freelance writer a health magazine, the Suburban Life, the Naperville Sun, and other organizations.
Email Steve Metsch at [email protected]