New York City buses, subways and stations will be cleaned by ultraviolet light lamps in an effort to kill COVID-19.
A new pilot program will test whether UV light is successful at killing the virus on surfaces, CNN reports.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said Tuesday night that it will use "150 dual-headed mobile devices" from Denver-based PURO Lighting to determine the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the technology, the agency said in a press release.
PURO Lighting claims its UVC lighting can eliminate the virus. The lamps also contain UVA and UVB and provide full-spectrum disinfection, according to the startup company.
Phase one will deploy the lights at subways, buses and transit stations by early next week, according to the MTA.
If the agency finds the method effective, it will expand it to the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad trains in a second phase.
"This is a first of its kind pilot when it comes to transportation agencies around the world and we are proud to be a part of it," MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick Foye said in a news release. "For nearly three months, the MTA has worked relentlessly to disinfect our entire fleet of subways and buses but we've always promised that we would explore any and all new approaches available to us as well. The launch of this UVC pilot represents a promising next step in our ongoing efforts to identify technologies that can keep our customers and employees as safe as possible.”
The lamps will be used during the overnight shutdown on subway trains and when transit is out of service.