BC Transit buses in Kamloops and elsewhere will start collecting fares again on June 1, as the Crown corporation brings in a new safety feature for drivers.

It says it will be installing vinyl panels to separate drivers from passengers, and that will allow passengers to enter from the front of buses again and pay fares.

It says other safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will stay in place.

BC Transit has not been collecting fares since mid March. Spokesperson Jonathan Dyck did not have a dollar figure for the revenue lost, but he says the corporation brings in about $6 million per month in revenue province-wide in normal times.

He also says ridership has declined by 60-to-80 per cent in different areas of the province, with Kamloops ridership between 60-to-70 per cent below normal.

Meanwhile, NL News asked BC Transit nearly two months ago if it was planning to bring in barriers to prevent contact with drivers.

Dyck says about 90 per cent of light-duty HandiDart buses had those panels installed in April, and driver doors are being installed on medium-duty, heavy-duty and high-capacity buses.