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Rider's Almanac Blog

In This Together

In this Together: Heywood Cleaner Timothy Thompson

Posted by John Komarek | Friday, July 24, 2020 8:00:00 AM

Heywood Cleaner Timothy Thompson at the Heywood Garage.

Across the organization, Metro Transit employees’ work has been changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. These "In This Together" Q&As illustrate how employees are adapting both on and off the clock. Read more interviews here.

Timothy Thompson, Cleaner

How has the pandemic affected your day-to-day work?

Every day I clean buses, so that part hasn't changed. I wipe down, sanitize, and wash buses every hour of ever day that I'm on the job. Due to the pandemic, however, we clean more often, more deeply, and have added a few new procedures. My coworkers and I take pride in our buses and aim to make them the cleanest in the nation. It's been challenging, but worth all the hard work to help make sure passengers have the cleanest bus possible and that they feel safe.
 

What’s it like working through a pandemic?

I've been a bus cleaner for 20 years, which means I've been through SARS, swine flu, and avian flu. During those times, we increased cleaning and sanitation, too. So the reality of the pandemic didn't quite strike me on the job, but rather until more of things I do started happening elsewhere.
 

How has your life changed outside of work?

My wife stays home and I'm unable to see my first grandson and can't visit some family in the hospital. It's tough not to be able to get together with people you care about, but it's important that we all do what we can to keep each other safe.

Whenever I go to the grocery store or other essential places, I notice the work they do to keep the place clean. And, whenever I can I thank the staff who work hard to keep us safe. We'll get through this, we always do.

Learn more about Metro Transit's response to COVID-19


Show your support

Metro Transit is playing an essential role in the region's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please consider showing your support for our essential workers by: