Clouds of white and pink smoke loom from the windows of a large Fresno County Rural Transit Authority electric bus in a Selma transportation yard during an airflow simulation study.

Sitting inside — 6 feet away from one another — is a masked, multidisciplinary team of researchers and industry professionals working to understand how the coronavirus respiratory disease (COVID-19) is spread on modes of public transportation. The smoke generated by non-toxic candles is being used to simulate the movement of airflow and airborne contamination — one of many tests being used to understand and quantify both air circulation as well as virus mitigation inside the bus.

Faculty from the Lyles College of Engineering and the Fresno State Transportation Institute are working on ways to address air flow and provide safe public transportation for bus drivers and passengers during COVID-19.

Read more about how their work could impact a variety of modes of public transportation in the near future.