Health Tips For Using Public Transit
There are so many decisions to make when planning a trip, especially if you plan to do some sightseeing on a budget. We hardly think about health tips for using public transit. If your goal is to get the most value, then you’re probably paying close attention to the different forms of transportation available to the public. The current cost of air travel is inching back up after plummeting to historic lows, and it’s now returned to prices that some families find prohibitively expensive.
If air travel is out of the question and social distancing is still a high priority, what is the best form of public transportation to choose for your family? Both buses and trains provide environments like airplanes where you navigate spaces that have seen a lot of human contact, which carry germs and potentially spread illness.
How Germs Spread in Public Transit Systems
So, what are germs’ primary methods of travel? Understand that some germs are airborne when someone sneezes, coughs or exhales. These germs get into your body when you breathe them in. Other germs make it onto our hands when we touch a contaminated object or contact a sick person.
Researchers are currently looking closely at how germs spread on public transit journeys. One recent study on transit systems and germs focused on airline flights. It determined that when it comes to the spread of “droplet-mediated respiratory diseases,” the aisle seat is the absolute worst – even worse than the middle seat.
We can expect more data on this topic as time goes on.
Top Health Tips for Traveling by Bus or Train
Unfortunately, no recent studies have emerged to weigh in on whether it’s better to travel by bus or train, so to make the call, here is some advice and information currently available:
1. Continue Checking Back to Authorities on the Subject
It takes time for research to accumulate. As a result, the bank of knowledge available to health experts is constantly growing and evolving. This can result in changes to health recommendations.
In early 2020, for example, the Centers for Disease Control made the unprecedented recommendation that members of the general public wear face masks. This widely influenced national and state policy, resulting in the adoption of mask mandates throughout the country. Almost two years later, as researchers learn more, most mask mandates have been repealed.
Health recommendations will continue to change over time. So, checking back regularly to travel recommendations from health authorities, like the CDC, can help you determine whether it’s better to travel by bus or train.
2. Do Your Best to Remove Germs
The CDC continues to advocate its recommendations on when and how to wash your hands. This means keeping your eyes out for the high-touch surfaces on public transport systems that are most likely to accumulate germs.
When handwashing is not an option (especially on long stretches of public transportation that don’t offer convenient handwashing opportunities), it’s critical to bring along hand sanitizer as a backup.
With a little bit of research and planning, you can make your call on whether it’s better to travel by bus or train to your destination. With that out of the way, you will hopefully be free to enjoy a carefree summer of memories filled with journeys to new favorite destinations with your health tips for using public transit.
