MARTA employees and volunteers began handing out the first of up to 2 million free masks Monday at rail stations and bus stops.

The mask giveaway is part of the transit agency’s commitment to fight the spread of COVID-19. While MARTA is not requiring riders to wear masks, it is encouraging them to do so to protect themselves and those around them.

MARTA does require mask wearing of all of the system’s employees and contractors.

“Since the onset of the pandemic, we have instituted safety precautions and new cleaning protocols in order to continue providing essential transit service while protecting our customers and employees,” MARTA General Manager and CEO Jeffrey Parker said. “We are now asking our customers to join us in helping to stop the spread of this virus by wearing a mask while on MARTA.”

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MARTA will be handing our free masks between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. on weekdays, then expand the program to weeknights and weekends depending on ridership.

Customers needing a mask should look for a uniformed MARTA station agent or transit ambassador wearing a red “Team MARTA” shirt.

MARTA uses electrostatic sprayers to clean and sanitize its entire fleet of about 500 buses every night and disinfects high-touch surfaces on 200 buses each day.

Rail cars are lightly cleaned while in service and disinfected every night. The sprayers sanitize high-touch areas inside MARTA’s 38 rail stations daily.

The mask giveaway initiative will continue until further notice or until public health recommendations change.