Starting this month, all Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) transit vehicles will have Aegis Microbe Shield applied to every surface that could be touched by customers and operators, including metal, cloth, glass, and plastic. The process was through a partnership with COTA and United Safety & Survivability Corp.

Aegis Microbe Shield is a colorless, odorless, FDA-approved antimicrobial solution that attracts, then electrocutes and ruptures, a microbe’s negatively charged cell membrane. To put it simply, surfaces treated with Aegis creates in inhospitable environment for potentially harmful microbes.

“As our economy re-opens and demand for mobility increases, COTA is looking to the best available technology to generate a safe environment for customers and employees using our transit vehicles,” said COTA President/CEO Joanna M. Pinkerton.

It is anticipated Aegis will be applied annually to all COTA transit vehicles moving forward. Once dried to the surface, Aegis provides an invisible layer of protection for up to one year.

Aegis is an innovative approach to providing antimicrobial protection for high-capacity industries such as medical, textiles, and hospitality, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic. COTA is one of the few transit authorities in the country using Aegis as part of its strategy to better protect customers and operators.

COTA will use Aegis as an addition to its already robust daily cleaning and sanitization process. All buses are sanitized multiple times daily, with sanitizing solutions approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.