An NC bus driver rides the line hoping COVID-19 isn’t waiting at the next stop

Annette Sanders has seen the video of the Detroit bus driver. He went on Facebook to complain about a passenger coughing repeatedly without covering her mouth. Two weeks later he died of COVID-19.

But that driver’s fate doesn’t keep Sanders from getting behind the wheel of her GoRaleigh city bus. “Because of my faith, I believe that God will protect us,” she said.

Sanders, 36, thinks hers is an important job, and with unemployment soaring, she’s grateful to have one. “I understand that we are the only transportation some people have. We’re still needed.,” said the driver, who has been driving a city bus for six years. ”I’m glad we still have to work.”

Still, she worries about bringing the virus home to her five-month-old son. She takes precautions. She wears a mask and she said, “I wash my hands so much the skin is peeling.”

GoRaleigh has taken precautions too. The buses are wiped down daily and fogged with disinfectant weekly. Passengers must board through the back door and fares have been waived to keep passengers away from the front of the bus. Seats are blocked off for social distancing. A GoRaleigh spokeswoman said no driver has tested positive for the coronavirus. One driver with the regional GoTriangle bus system has tested positive.

This week the Charlotte Area Transit System also took steps. It asked all bus and rail riders to wear cloth face masks or coverings, take seats at least six feet apart and limit their rides to essential trips.

Ridership in North Carolina has plunged since the statewide stay-at-home order was issued last month. Fewer riders means fewer buses and weekend schedules for some routes. It’s a delicate balance. If buses get too scarce, the ones that are running can get too full. An irate GoRaleigh rider complained on Twitter that crowded buses “are more dangerous than the hospitals” and posted an photo of the Capital 1 bus on April 9 so full riders were standing in the aisle. GoRaleigh said backup buses are now in place if a regular bus nears its reduced capacity.

Crowding hasn’t been Sanders’ experience driving the Route 18 Poole-Barwell bus, which follows a two-hour loop from far Southeast Raleigh to the downtown bus station. Sometimes her bus is empty. With fewer riders, lighter traffic and no dealing with fares, her loop goes so fast she has to stop for a while to keep on schedule.

But it only takes one rider to bring the virus on board. “You just don’t know who has it. That’s the only thing you’ve got to be leery about,” Sanders said as she stood by her bus outside the GoRaleigh headquarters off Poole Road. A few riders still try to come forward to pay but she waves them away. “I was like, ‘No, you can stay back there. It’s OK. You don’t have to pay.’ “

There was a rider who made her nervous. “I had one person that was coughing. It was last week, though. They were coughing regularly. I watched in the mirror,” she said. “I keep my driver’s window open. It’s another outlet. They say [the coronavirus] is airborne. Maybe it will fly right past me.”

Health care workers on the front lines of COVID-19 hot spots are praised for their dedication and courage. Sanders said others who are still out in the world serving the public deserve notice, too.

“If the trash people stop working, we’ll have a trash pandemic,” she said. “If the transportation stops, then there will be people who can’t get around.”

Noticed or not, with riders or without, Sanders drives on, thinking about her newborn son and pushing away thoughts of the virus that took the Detroit driver.

“I try not to think about it,” she said. “I just say my prayers and come to work.”

Correction: An earlier version of this column incorrectly reported that a GoTriangle spokeswoman said no bus drivers have tested positive for COVID-19. It was a GoRaleigh spokeswoman who said that regarding Raleigh drivers. One driver with the GoTriangle regional system has tested positive.

This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 12:00 AM.