Cherriots running nearly all routes following months of reduced service, but fewer than half of riders have returned

Caution tape closes off seats on a Cherriots bus to guide social distancing. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

More than six months after Salem’s transit service started implementing safety precautions because of Covid and several bus drivers tested positive, Cherriots has re-opened nearly all its routes.

Service is back to 95% of what it was before the pandemic, minus one route dubbed the “library loop” that went past the Salem Public Library. That building is currently under…