TransLink tests airborne cleaning system on buses, as part of COVID-19 measures
Posted March 5, 2021 1:07 pm.
METRO VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – If you’re riding on a bus Saturday in Metro Vancouver, and you notice a slight antiseptic smell, there’s probably no need to panic.
As part of its Safe Operating Action Plan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, TransLink is testing a new airborne cleaning system, which will send small amounts of hydrogen peroxide through the air filtration systems on an articulated bus (known by some as an “accordion bus”) and two double-decker buses.
The goal is to kill pathogens, like viruses.
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Gabrielle Price with TransLink says the new photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) system isn’t going to cause any discomfort for passengers.
“It’s such low levels of hydrogen peroxide that is used. This is a technology that has been widely distributed in a lot of organizations. Companies like Google, Marriott, and even the Kennedy Space Centre,” she said.
“The technology is run through HVAC systems, so customers won’t actually be able to see the process taking place. But they might be noticing a bit of a subtle clean scent when they’re on the bus,” Price added.
TransLink will be piloting the PCO cleaning system through to the end of the month, then determine whether to expand it.
