Metro Transit issues no tickets, but plenty of warnings to riders not wearing masks

Electronic destination signs on Metro Transit buses tell riders face coverings are required; the federal mask mandate to wear them on public transportation has been extended into January.

But Drive readers Steve and Jane wonder if Metro Transit is bothering to enforce the mask mandate.

"On some bus rides, patrons are being allowed to ride without a mask, or refusing to wear them once they've boarded and being allowed to stay on," Steve said in his late August e-mail. "Rhetoric about enforcing the mandate and protecting the public health of riders and drivers simply doesn't match the on-the-ground reality."

Jane said she rode a bus to the State Fair and "our driver wore her U.S. flag-themed mask on her chin, completely avoiding her nose and mouth."

Orders requiring people to wear masks remain a highly sensitive subject in many places, not just on transit. Metro Transit spokeswoman Laura Baenen says the agency is doing its best to get drivers and riders to comply without being overbearing.

Transit police conducted more than 11,500 fare compliance checks on buses and light-rail trains during August. In conjunction with the fare checks, officers issued 437 warnings to passengers who failed to comply with the mask mandate and distributed 368 face coverings. No citations have been issued yet this year, Baenen said.

"We don't want too be heavy-handed," Baenen said. "We want to persuade [people to wear masks] through education and friendly reminders."

The agency continues to hammer home the message about wearing masks through social media campaigns and internal communication reminding drivers and all Metro Transit employees "to set a good example," Baenen said.

Riders with concerns can use the Text for Safety option to report noncompliance, to which police can respond. Metro Transit staff also watch cameras in light-rail cars and can dispatch officers if passengers are maskless, Baenen said.

Baenen said the agency will continue to issue constant reminders to drivers and passengers to mask up. "We want passengers to stay well and keep riding again and again," she said.

Col. Matt Langer, who has been head of the Minnesota State Patrol for the past six years, was recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement in Highway Safety Award by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA).

Langer has been involved with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths and the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety to ensure his agency sends consistent traffic safety messages and conducts enforcement efforts throughout the state.

"He has dedicated his career to saving lives and reducing roadway deaths, exemplifying AAMVA's core mission of safe drivers, safe vehicles, secure identities and saving lives," said AAMVA President and CEO Anne Ferro.

Langer also provides traffic safety data to the University of Minnesota to study human factors that drive dangerous crash trends and to find ways to eliminate them.

"From lawmakers, to traffic safety partners, to law enforcement, preventing traffic fatalities is a team effort," Langer said. "One death on Minnesota roads is one too many. The families we meet who have lost loved ones motivate us to do all that we can to eliminate traffic fatalities on our roads."

Follow news about traffic and commuting at The Drive on startribune.com. Got traffic or transportation questions, or story ideas? E-mail drive@startribune.com, tweet @stribdrive or call Tim Harlow at 612-673-7768.