Citrus County residents who ride public transit are now mandated to wear a face covering. The change comes following the executive order President Biden signed late last month.

 “Federal law now is that all passengers riding a transit bus must wear a mask,” Citrus Transit bus driver, Ann Osborn, told a passenger getting on her bus.

A Citrus County Transit supervisor says it’s led to a tightening of rules and expecations.

“Well, since we received the mandate, our drivers were always encouraged to wear a mask before the mandate. But now that it’s mandated, our drivers wear them on the premises, while driving passengers,” Lori Hall said. “They wear them all day long.”

Since the start of the pandemic, Citrus Transit transitioned to door-to-door service by reservation only, free of charge, to limit the number of passengers on its buses.
Each night, a staff member fills a plastic bag with disposable masks to hand to a driver the next morning. That driver will have them available for passengers who may not have a mask to ride the bus.

“Most people are pretty glad to at least be able to have the bus service, so they are pretty willing to wear a mask,” Osborn said. “And I think everybody’s concerned about their own health as well.”