Mass Transit - 48

Air Treatment Solutions Integrated with
On-board Surveillance Technology can
Increase Ridership and Safety Amid

Pandemic
By utilizing an integrated and adaptive solution,
transit agencies can monitor vehicles and implement
an air treatment solution that prevents viral
transmission while supporting the efficiency of transit
operations and communications to passengers.
By Kirk Goins , contributor

A

s mass transit systems look
for solutions that will support
the safe return of ridership,
many are realizing that the
options available today don't
address what is now known
about the COVID-19 virus: The highest risk of
transmission is through contact
with respiratory droplets, such
as those produced when speaking, coughing or sneezing. Additionally, many of these options
require extensive labor and vehicle
downtime, which further burden
transit operations already in crisis.
With transit operations seeking
additional budget and even more
efficient ways to operate, returning
ridership requires an innovative
solution to complement the additional cleaning and personal protection efforts, such as wearing a
face covering.
Virus deactivation today typically consists of episodic cleaning, which is effective at disinfecting surfaces - as long as they
are both applied correctly and
left wet for the required "dwell
time." However, these products

48 |

offer little or no protection once
the vehicle is in use and boarded
by a potentially infected passenger or operator. Furthermore, the
application of these chemicals is
time-consuming and often requires personal protective equipment for the application.
Existing HVAC systems using
UV lighting or filters are proven
effective at de-activating airborne
viruses in a lab. Though they are
positioned as a "continuous" solution, they do not account for the
rapid shifts in air flow resulting
from opening and closing doors
and windows. And, these systems
provide no data (real-time or historical) about their effectiveness.
The future of health and safety
on-board public transit depends
on smart, innovative and connected solutions that can work concurrently to prevent airborne viral
transmission, inform passengers
throughout their trip and simultaneously report on the success of
these measures, such as an intelligent air treatment solution.
By installing an air sensor onboard, this smart system can ad-

Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020

AGENCIES SHOULD
look for solutions
that can work
concurrently to
prevent airborne
viral transmission,
inform passengers
throughout their
trip and report
on the success of
these measures.

Luminator

ON-BOARD AIR
sensors can
adjust to the
changing airflow
and conditions
in the vehicle
and operators
can validate
the amount of
air treatment
deployed.

just to the changing airflow and
conditions in the vehicle, much
like a thermostat regulates the
temperature in a home or office.
Additionally, transit operators
can validate the amount of air
treatment deployed, which will
provide historical and real-time
data on the efficacy of the solution.
Continuous air treatment systems that can integrate with a va-
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