Got the mask on? Treat yourself to a candy

Gdynia rewards passengers who protect themselves and the others

Wearing a face mask has become an inalienable part of our daily lives since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Most countries, including Poland, require some form of facial protection against COVID-19, at least in closed spaces, such as public transport.

Still, this small but essential protection seems to bother many, who either willingly or not forget to put a mask on when they enter a public transport vehicle. Remarks or fines have not proven sufficient to fight this issue, so the Polish city of Gdynia decided to recur to praising, instead of shaming.

That is why, for a couple of days starting on Friday, 13 August, employees of Gdynia City Transport Authority (ZKM Gdynia) will reward those who wear a mask with candy and will distribute masks to those who do not have any.

Making public transport attractive again

Certainly, keeping ourselves and others protected from COVID-19 should already feel like a significant reward. But for public transport users in Gdynia, wearing a mask will get even better in the next few days, as they might receive tasty fudge candy as a thank you for complying with sanitary restrictions in place.

As of last Friday, everyone who boards the trolley or bus wearing a mask will get fudge marked with the ZKM Gdynia logo. Those who do not have a mask will get one. The objective: remind passenger that the pandemic is still going on.

“Educating passengers and complying with safety rules is currently one of the most important challenges for public transport, which, as we well know, saw huge drops in the number of passengers at the height of the pandemic and must painstakingly rebuild trust.

This is especially important in the context of the possible next wave that doctors and virologists warn of. We want to strengthen good practices, encourage people to care for the safety of others and to travel one of the most modern rolling stocks in the country, a large part of which are trolleybuses and zero-emission buses,” explained Katarzyna Gruszecka-Spychała, Vice-president for Economy, quoted on the city website.