Modesto looks to ban smoking at transportation center, bus stops

The city is considering banning smoking at its Modesto Transportation Center in downtown and at its 800 bus stops.

The City Council’s Safety and Communities Committee is scheduled to hear the proposal at its Monday meeting. The proposal is part of an update to the city code that regulates smoking. The update would ban the use of e-cigarettes, vaping and medical marijuana.

City officials are asking the committee to endorse the update and forward it to the full council for adoption later.

A city report states that transit officials have received requests to ban smoking at the transportation center, which serves several thousand customers a day who use Modesto Area Express, Stanislaus Regional Transit and Greyhound buses. The report states an area could be designated at the center to accommodate smokers.

The committee also is expected to approve the application of Hermes Guardian Transport to operate as a nonemergency medical transportation service in Modesto and recommend the full council approve the application. A city report states there are eight other companies that provide nonemergency medical transport services in the city.

The committee meets at 5 p.m. in room 2005 on the second floor of Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St.

This story was originally published September 12, 2015 at 1:31 PM with the headline "Modesto looks to ban smoking at transportation center, bus stops."