A Clean System is a Healthy System

Facilities Auxiliary Supervisor Jamie Hudson (left) and Service Person Marichio Conception pressure wash the El Cajon Transit Center/ Service Person Shaun Hudson, Facilities Auxiliary Supervisor Jamie Hudson, and Service Person Marichio Conception on the job at the El Cajon Transit Center/ Service Person Daniel Orozco (left) and Facilities Auxiliary Supervisor Michael Monroe use the scrubber to clean the 12th & Imperial Transit Center

With 280,000 daily passengers riding the system, there are constant messes, spills, stains, trash and more that demand regular robust cleaning at our stations. That is why MTS has 62 dedicated professionals as part of the MTS Facilities team to keep our stations sanitary and looking professional.

It’s not easy. Think if you had 280,000 house guests visiting every day and had to clean up after them! But, the Facilities team rises to the task by implementing a comprehensive station cleaning strategy.

Pressure Washing: “There’s a lot of equipment used to clean a station, and a pressure washing system is one of the most important,” said MTS Facilities Supervisor Martin Ortiz. Stations get pressure washed at least 1-2 times per week, depending on the volume of foot traffic and special events. It’s a deep cleaning that uses water mixed with disinfecting solutions to clean the floors, shelter canopies, railings, benches, kiosk signs and more. Pressure washing produces a higher concentration of hot water and solutions onto the pavement, opening the concrete up, so when everything comes up it gets washed away. “The hot water is important. It helps break up any bacteria that might be affecting the area,” added Facilities Serviceperson Shaun Hudson.

Power Scrubbing: When stations get their deep cleanings, a motorized auto scrubber is used in conjunction with the pressure washer. “We have a power scrubber machine that saturates the cleaning solutions with more water, along with a vacuuming and brush system to loosen up whatever’s on the surface to take up,” said Facilities Auxiliary Supervisor Jaime Hudson.

The Finer Touches: While pressure washing and scrubbing broadly cover the stations, the finer details need attention too. “Part of our process is wiping everything down; determining if everything is cleaned of germs or any kind of messes,” added Shaun Hudson. Every single day, MTS’ cleaning professionals disinfect and wipe down all of the common areas by hand with a 10 percent bleach solution. This includes wiping down all the railings as well as giving trash cans a detailed cleaning.

Quality Control: There’s a quality control element to ensure station cleaning gets done properly. Facilities supervisors will inspect the cleanings done by Facilities’ servicepersons at every station. If something is not done right, or gets missed, an MTS serviceperson will get back out there to finish the job.

Guaranteeing all stations meet our sanitation standards is hard work, but our passengers appreciate and expect a clean system. The MTS Facilities team has a solid plan in place. The team executes a successful station cleaning program day-in and day-out to limit potential health risks to our passengers, employees and the public.

The Fight Against Hepatitis A

MTS already cleans Trolley and bus revenue vehicles nightly and stations on a regular basis. Though the chances of contracting Hepatitis A are slim, our vigorous cleaning program is even stronger now. Cleaning crews have increased some cleanings from a weekly to daily basis, and have switched to a stronger bleach-based cleaning solution on vehicles and at transit centers as recommended by County health officials.