Results from the TransLink study, funded by diversified mining major Teck Resources, show that copper is effective at killing bacteria on high-touch transit surfaces.
Based on sample-testing performed on transit and in a lab, the trial concludes that select copper products on transit surfaces are durable and kill up to 99.9% of all bacteria within one hour of the bacteria’s contact with the surface.
Phase one of the pilot began in November and lasted five weeks on two buses and two SkyTrain cars.
To expand on phase one’s results, a second phase will be launched in the coming months to verify the results with a larger sample of data.
TransLink was the first transit agency in North America to test copper on transit surfaces. The pilot was launched as part of TransLink’s Covid-19 response.