You can now sanitize your phone for free on GO Transit using a UV light

All Ontario residents who have the privilege of being able to stay home on a day-to-day basis are asked to keep doing so for the foreseeable future, but those who are required to travel for essential work can now access a quick and high-tech way of sanitizing their phones and Presto cards before hopping on a GO Train.

Metrolinx announced Monday that it's rolling out CleanSlate UV sanitizers across select GO Transit and UP Express stations so customers can disinfect their electronic items completely free of charge, because we've all heard the bit about smartphones carrying more germs than a toilet seat.

If you’re travelling on GO or UP for essential reasons, wear your mask at all times, use the hand sanitizer on board & clean your phone & PRESTO card with UV light. We’ve added a new way to fight #COVID19 on top of the 40+ safety actions already implemented to keep you safe pic.twitter.com/za8Nnj6FIy

— Anne Marie Aikins (@AMAwithAMA) April 19, 2021

"Using sanitizing machines from CleanSlate UV, a Canadian biosafety company, is another way to help keep people safe. Sanitizing machines that harness the power of UV light to kill up to 99.9 per cent of germs on smartphones and other handheld items in only 20 seconds," reads a Metrolinx blog post.

"The UV machines can sanitize more than just mobile phones. They can be used to sanitize any non-porous surface. This includes items like tablets, keys, access cards, watches, pens, and pencils (if you still use pencils) and more. They can all be sanitized within seconds using a CleanSlate UV machine. "

According to Metrolinx, UV light is one of the best ways to sanitize mobile phones because it doesn't damage electronic devices with chemicals, it eliminates human error, and it's both the quickest and most effective method available. 

CleanSlate UV will be available at 18 different stations across the system, including but not limited to Union Station, Union Station Bus Terminal, the UP Express station at Union, the Hwy 407 Bus Terminal and Pearson terminals.  

The UV light machines will be located next to hand sanitizer stations, and Metrolinx is reminding riders that face masks also continue to be required when travelling on GO Transit and UP Express.