Bed bug infestations on public buses and other forms of public transit are becoming more and more common. Not surprisingly, public transportation vehicles in big cities like New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles are found to be infested with bed bugs on a regular basis. One significant factor that makes public transport a haven for bed bugs are the fabric seats they often contain. It is well known that bed bugs reproduce most rapidly when they nest within textile fabrics. Most subway and elevated trains contain seats that are made of plastic, which helps to decrease the rate at which individuals acquire and spread bed bugs via their clothing. However, most buses in the US continue to make use of cushioned fabric seats, making buses particularly vulnerable to bed bug infestations.
Not long ago, officials with the Bus Driver’s Union claimed that 11 buses operating under the Manhattan Transit Authority (MTA) had ceased operating due to heavy bed bug infestations within the vehicles. Bus drivers have also claimed that bed bug infestations are becoming more frequent on New York buses. In some cases, bus drivers will notice the presence of bed bugs in the vehicles, but in other cases, bus drivers themselves will sustain bed bug bites while driving. Although Transit Authority CEO, Andy Byford, claims that the insects found on the 11 buses were not verified as definitely being bed bugs, the pest control professionals decked out in bed bug-resistant jumpsuits who had been fumigating the buses suggests otherwise.
According to one reporter, several pest control professionals had been placing plastic covers over each seat within all 11 buses at the Kingsbridge Bus Depot. Each one of these plastic covers read: “on hold for bed bugs.” Based on this evidence, it seems more than likely that the insects infesting the buses were, indeed, bed bugs. However, CEO Byford claims that only one woman merely complained of seeing something that may have been bed bugs, but the presence of bed bugs has not yet been verified as existing on any of the 11 buses. Interestingly, after local news reporters arrived to find pest control professionals fumigating the buses at the Kingsbridge Depot, transit authorities ordered staff to remove the bed bug warnings printed on the windshields of all 11 buses.
Do you think that it is obvious that several New York buses have become infested with bed bugs?
