Funded by EPSRC Impact Acceleration Funding
Ground Public Transport Operators! We need your help to create the first cleaning framework to mitigate against infectious disease transmission on public transport.
During COVID-19 enhanced cleaning was performed on many Ground Public Transport (GPT) vehicles to mitigate against transmission via vehicle surfaces. Throughout the TRACK project we have engaged with GPT operators who have reported:
- different cleaning practises across the industry
- over-use of cleaning products causing material degradation
- a lack of confidence when engaging with cleaning and disinfectant suppliers
- uncertainty about how to assess the claims made by suppliers about the effectiveness of their products
- uncertainty as to how to ‘turn off’ enhanced cleaning while maintaining confidence of staff and the public
Once it was established that the main pathways for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 involved close contact and aerosol transmission, operators wanted to reduce ineffective and costly enhanced cleaning however reducing cleaning regimes impacted passenger confidence. The public regard GPT as a high-risk environment and therefore GPT operators were forced to continue visible cleaning.
The CleanTravel project has been set up to research and produce a cleaning framework document and online toolkit that GPT operators can use to create their preferred cleaning protocols, and guide operators about how they can be assured of the efficacy of those protocols both at times of ‘normal’ disease prevalence and during times of heightened disease activity. The cleaning framework and Toolkit will boost GPT resilience to the threats of emerging pathogens capable of causing pandemics, and other seasonal infectious diseases which impact staff and passenger health.
How do I get involved?
If you are interested in more information or would like to be involved with the CleanTravel project, please scroll down to the Sign me up! button below.
We are keen to hear from GPT operators to assist in the development of the Framework and Toolkit. We are also keen to hear from people in other sectors who are involved in evaluating cleaning. We particularly want to talk to those:
- Responsible for choosing cleaning products and developing cleaning protocols
- Who have had issues with cleaning products such as material incompatibility, or other effects e.g. interactions between products
- Who assess the occupational health, environmental impact and/or economic cost of cleaning regimes.
We are looking to gather information on the following:
- Cleaning activities used to reduce transmission
- How cleaning products were chosen during the pandemic (including operator understanding of the disinfectant efficacy data with which they were presented)
- Experiences with disinfectant suppliers
- Impact of cleaning measures on staff and passengers
- Impact of additional cleaning on materials in the vehicles
- Other impacts of cleaning measures (such as increased staff, energy, financial cost, environmental impacts)
- The success of different mitigation measures
- How their knowledge and understanding of disinfectants and cleaning processes have changed since the start of the pandemic
- What format a cleaning framework and toolkit should take to achieve optimal benefit.
Your input is vital so we can ensure that the Framework and Toolkit is developed in the most industry relevant and usable format. We are looking for those willing to engage with us via focus groups, interviews, workshops, discussions and to provide feedback on Framework and Toolbox prototypes.
Phases of the CleanTravel project:
