CLEVELAND (WJW)– A local bus company is the first in the nation to install UV light to help disinfect the inside of their tour buses.

The coronavirus pandemic has literally hit the brakes on the motor coach industry.

“Usually our busiest months are March, April and May. But once COVID hit, everyone’s trips were wiped out. We will probably do 10 percent of the revenue we usually do in any given year,” said Patrick Goebel, vice president of Barons Bus, a private charter bus company in Cleveland.

While Goebel waits on the travel industry to turn around, his company is taking an innovative approach to keeping their buses clean.

“We’ve added two types of UV lights to our buses in service. We have a UVC light in our HVAC systems and a Far UV light that sits in the interior of the bus. It’s a UV light used in medical facilities and hospitals,” Goebel said.

“It’s a UV light that isn’t harmful to human skin and eyes, but it kills the bacteria and viruses that are airborne. As the bus travels down the road, the air you are breathing or someone three rows back is breathing being disinfected,” Goebel said.

Barons plans to install lighting on all their buses once the industry bounces back. Right now, they have 20 out of the 51 fleet in service.

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