Starting Monday, August 24th transit users will have to wear masks while on board.

Earlier this month, BC Transit announced that masks will be mandated for those needing a ride. Spokesperson Jonathan Dyck believes the nearly three week grace period was enough and people should be well aware of the changes.

“We wanted to provide some time so that customers could be aware that this is the expectation moving forward that if you are getting on a BC Transit vehicle, you are expected to be wearing a face covering unless you meet the exclusion criteria. So we wanted to give some time to make sure that we were doing our education pieces ahead of time.”

Dyck says mandating mask use has been effective in other jurisdictions.

“We’ve seen other transit agencies go this way and we’re building out plans based on what they’ve done. We know this is something that has been a key for customers when they talk about how do we make transit more comfortable for them. And we also know that Dr Bonnie Henry, the Provincial Health Officer, that this is the direction that she believes that transit agencies on the province should go.”

Dyck says there are exceptions for people who cannot wear a mask for medical conditions. He also asks that if you see someone not wearing a mask to be respectful and assume they are exempt.