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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; The Martz Group Monday announced that it plans to resume service on limited schedules for essential workers on May 11.
				The announcement was made by Martz Group President Scott M. Henry.
				Henry said affected schedules include Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Philadelphia, Delaware Water Gap, Mount Pocono, and Port Authority. Martz service from Wilkes-Barre and Scranton will only operate into Philadelphia and will not include service to New York.
				No date has been set to resume leisure travel.
				Henry underscored the company&rsquo;s dedication to customer safety.
				&ldquo;Our highest priority is safety,&rdquo; Henry said. &ldquo;To protect our customers and staff, we will implement measures that exceed recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hundreds of front-line workers rely on our service to bring them safely to and from jobs that cannot be done from home. We&rsquo;re prepared to help them get back to work in a safe and responsible way.&rdquo;
				Henry said Martz Group has already received national attention for its early adoption and use of electrostatic disinfecting sprayers in their cleaning process.
				In addition, Martz Group has worked with Motor Coach Industries, the Des Plaines, IL-based manufacturer of its coach fleet, to develop an innovative, enhanced air filtration system that utilizes ultraviolet light to reduce viruses, bacteria and mold by up to 99.9% in the air and on the HVAC coil.
				This technology, which Martz plans to install on its buses, will also assist in building ridership confidence as service returns.
				&ldquo;Martz has been a leader in motorcoach and transportation innovation for over a century,&rdquo; Scott Henry said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re excited to work with our friends at MCI to find innovative and creative solutions for our customers.&rdquo;
				John Henry, corporate safety director for Martz Group, said as Pennsylvania and surrounding states begin to reopen, Martz will be taking a thoughtful and measured approach to begin transporting essential workers to and from their places of business.
				&rdquo;Our longtime, loyal customers have trusted us with their commute for years, and we&rsquo;re pleased to announce that we will resume this service for our valued friends and neighbors in a safe and responsible way,&rdquo; John Henry said. &ldquo;During our voluntary pause in service, we devoted our efforts to increased safety measures for our customers and staff. We welcome the privilege of helping people in our community return to a sense of normalcy.&rdquo;
				To protect customers and staff, Scott and John Henry said Martz Group is implementing the following practices:
				&#8226; All coaches will be deep cleaned several times a day, prior to and after each trip. All coaches will be sanitized with a disinfecting &ldquo;fog&rdquo; machine during this process.
				&#8226; Physical distancing must be observed in terminal and ticket areas, as well as on the coach. Seating will be staggered throughout the coach to practice physical distancing, and coaches will be limited to 14 passengers or fewer.
				&#8226; Customers and drivers will be provided with hand sanitizer upon entering and exiting the coach. Hand sanitizer will also be available on board the coach.
				&#8226; Drivers will be given FDA-approved protective masks and gloves. Passengers must wear their own protective masks while on board. Both drivers and passengers must wear personal protective products for the duration of the trip.
				&#8226; Boarding procedures will respect physical distancing and will direct passenger flow, ensuring a controlled exit.
				&#8226; All employees will have their temperatures taken at the beginning of each day; drivers&rsquo; temperatures will be taken before each trip. Martz Group employees who experience high temperatures will be sent home.
				&#8226; Online and mobile ticketing will be used for contactless interaction.
				Henry said MCI and its sister company, NFI Parts, collaborators on the added air filtration technology, are proud of their longstanding relationship with Martz, one of the leading operators in the motor coach and transportation industries.
				&ldquo;Longtime partnerships and collaboration with companies like Martz helps keep MCI and our customers on the leading edge of developments and ensures motorcoach transportation remains among the safest modes of transportation,&rdquo; said Brent Maitland, MCI vice president of marketing, product planning and pre-owned coaches.
				Last week, Gov. Tom Wolf announced plans to begin reopening Pennsylvania&rsquo;s economy in a phased, regional approach. While it has not been announced when each region of the state will begin to reopen, Martz plans to resume limited service only for essential employees under its designation as an essential, life-sustaining business in both Pennsylvania and New York.
				For customer service inquiries, call 570-821-3838.

Martz Group plans to return to limited service on May 11