Choctaw Transit leads state in virus safeguard
Photos provided by The Choctaw Nation New Lexan shields are being installed in all 41 Choctaw Nation Transit Department vehicles as a defense against the coronavirus in the close quarters of a transportation vehicle. A Choctaw Nation bus, equipped last month, became the first in the state of Oklahoma to provide this type of protective service.
Choctaw Nation
Kelsey Brown
DURANT – The Choctaw Nation recently outfitted its first bus with interior plastic shields putting a barrier between driver and passengers. This step made it the first public transportation vehicle in the state of Oklahoma to be equipped with this type of protection against the coronavirus. 
“It was a test,” said Johnny James, director of the Choctaw Nation Transit Department. “It went very well. Transit has 41 vehicles and we are in the process of upgrading them all like this, including our mini-vans.”
Mark Nestlen, executive director of the Oklahoma Transit Association, confirmed that.
“The Choctaw Nation is the first in the state to step out and install permanent barriers,” Nestlen said. “They are the leader. Now other systems are following suit.”
OTA is an independent organization, he added, whose membership is made up of the 34 urban, small urban, suburban, rural and tribal transit agencies in the state.
The first Choctaw Nation bus with the protection is based in Hugo and has a regular route to Durant each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. When installation is complete, the newly refurbished vehicles will cover all 10½ counties of the Choctaw Nation.
“Choctaw Nation Transit provides around 40,000 trips a year, assisting the elderly, disabled and those with transportation needs in getting to medical appointments,” James said.
The project is being paid for by a CARES Act grant received by the tribe. Installations are provided by Lone Star Handicap Vans of Tyler, Texas. The fixtures, made of Lexan, a polycarbonate resin thermoplastic, go from the floor to the ceiling of the vehicle. They are expected to be permanent and a standard part of Choctaw Transit vehicles in the future.