How to make your trip safer on SEPTA, bike shares, Uber, car rentals, and more

Crowds, cleaning practices, air flow, travel time, cost, and convenience: They’re all factors to consider when deciding how to get around during the pandemic. But no matter which form of transportation you choose to use, the overarching advice is the same.

“No matter how you’re traveling, it comes down to the same basic principles — wear a mask, maintain distance from others, and wash your hands [before and after commuting],” says Dr. Eric Sachinwalla, medical director of Infection Prevention Control for Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia.

All will lower your risk of contracting the coronavirus and potentially spreading it, whether you’re hopping a crowded subway or setting out on your own two feet. But which travel option should you choose? And which is the least risky? The decision between an enclosed subway filled with other riders, a five-mile walk in 90-degree heat, or a pricy Uber with a driver you don’t know isn’t always easy.

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We broke down the pros and cons of various forms of transportation to help your decision-making process, along with tips for making each trip safer during the pandemic. The options here are listed by relative level of risk (low to high), but experts note, travel during a pandemic is always situational.

Note: Risk level is assessed in relation to the pandemic only, and not in terms of street safety.

Unless you own a car (which may limit your exposure even further), experts agree that outdoor forms of transportation are currently the safest.

“The better the air flow, the less likely the virus can remain in the air,” says Thersa Sweet, associate teaching professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Drexel University.

Of course, it’s not practical to walk from, say, Philly to Cape May, but if your commute is within a few miles, let your feet take you where you need to go. It’s the cheapest form of transit, and includes a built-in added bonus: Exercise. Even when outdoors, you should still wear a mask, and maintain at least six feet from others.

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Like walking, biking is on the low end of the COVID-19 risk spectrum. Even if busy streets force you to break social distancing guidelines, you’re generally better off on a bike than you are inside a bus or other enclosed environments.

“If you’re whizzing past someone fairly closely on your bike, I wouldn’t be too concerned — COVID-19 is something that’s shown to be mostly transmitted when in close proximity to other people for long periods of time,” says Sachinwalla.

Out of precaution, if you’re riding through the city or a crowded area, wear a mask.

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Don’t own a bike? Using a bike share, experts say, is only slightly riskier.

“It seems more and more that contaminated surfaces play a more minor role in the transmission of COVID-19, so I wouldn’t avoid bike shares because of the shared surfaces,” says Sachinwalla. “It’s always a good idea to wipe down surfaces from a general cleanliness perspective, but you don’t need to go crazy. Wipe down the handlebars and brakes, but you can skip the tires.”

Indego, the city’s official ride share program, has elevated its sanitation efforts of high-contact areas at the most popular stations, and disinfects all bikes that come through the warehouse for repair. It’s also focusing on increased demand, adding a station to the Schuylkill Banks area for the summer.

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If you don’t own a car and want to travel longer distances, renting a car is among the least risky options. It’s also the most expensive.

If you choose to rent, take note: Worry less about the car, and more about any passengers you invite along for the ride.

“For the vast majority of situations, you need to be in close contact with someone to get infected from COVID-19,” says Sachinwalla. “Between when the person before you drops off the car, then the cleaning, and then when you get in, I wouldn’t consider a rental car high risk.”

If you want to be extra cautious, wipe down the steering wheel with sanitizing wipes before taking off, and roll down the windows for a few minutes.

“Presumably the company who’s renting the car to you will do all of that, but you don’t know for sure, and five minutes of your time isn’t too big of an inconvenience,” says Sweet.

For added assurance, many major rental car companies, like Enterprise and Avis, allow you to read about their coronavirus protocols online.

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When you take a rideshare or taxi, you only have to come into contact with one other person — the driver. (Uber and Lyft have suspended all carpooling services that would pair you with strangers heading in a similar direction.) Masks are required, and Uber drivers have to take a selfie to prove they’re wearing one when they start driving for the day.

However, mask compliance is never guaranteed. If your driver shows up without a mask or isn’t properly wearing a mask, be prepared to cancel your ride. The close quarters inside a vehicle isn’t ideal, and the driver is likely to be in contact with many other riders as part of the job.

“The driver could have pretty high exposure, so it’s hard to say if it’s safer than public transport, and Uber’s going to get expensive,” says Sweet. “Try to limit the amount of time you’re in the vehicle and how close you are to the driver — always sit in the backseat.”

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One potential positive: Buses and trains are cleaner. SEPTA has amped up its cleaning measures, sanitizing vehicles at least twice a day, and high-touch surfaces on trains, buses, trolleys, and facilities several times per day. Open stations are disinfected and power washed overnight.

Yet, while cleaning is a good first step, it can’t eliminate coronavirus risk.

“I’m more worried about what’s in the air than touching things because you can always wash your hands,” says Sweet. “Whether it’s a train, bus, or car, it’s just like being inside a building. You have to think about the dose — is there someone in that vehicle who could potentially be infectious? That’s a complete unknown because people can be presymptomatic, asymptomatic, or mildly sick and think it’s their allergies, so the dose [of COVID-19 in the air] remains a big question.”

Wearing a mask is required on Septa, and masks have been shown to help reduce the amount of COVID-19 particles floating around. The biggest challenge is that not everyone follows the rules, and not everyone wears their mask properly. (Some masks are available at the passenger or customer service offices of Septa’s major transportation centers and train stations. There’s also a PPE vending machine in Suburban Station.) According to an analysis by SEPTA, roughly 8 out of 10 riders are complying with the mask requirement. Compliance ranges from as low as 63% on the Market-Frankford El to 96% on Regional Rail. Without 100% compliance, airborne transmission remains a risk.

Riders are asked to respect seat barriers and to maintain social distancing. There are vehicle capacity limits currently in place, and plans to deploy social distancing “coaches” at some Center City stations.

On days when weather allows, bus roof hatches will be open.

“The hatches let in a fair amount of air, and because of the air flow, I’d say buses may be better than the subway,” says Lo. “The subway stations use mechanical fans to bring in outside air, but it’s never 100% outside air in the stations. When the doors open on the subway, you’re mixing in underground air, which dilutes what’s happening inside the car, but outside air is definitely better.”

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