- In Olympia, Washington, Transit Ambassadors “On The Bus Routes Enhances Safety And Security.” For ThurstonTalk, Kristina Lotz reports on the new transit ambassador program Thurston County leaders launched this summer to be a highly visible “presence on the bus routes [to] enhance safety and security.” Outfitted in bright blue uniforms, the transit ambassador has a range of duties, everything from:
- “[D]e-escalating situations” with passengers having a mental health crisis
- “CPR, first aid and Narcan” deployment for passengers experiencing a medical emergency
- “[S]upporting the [bus] operator” ensuring that “they can focus on driving safely, while the ambassador assists passengers” with their needs. This includes targeted bus route patrols, “if drivers are having problems on a route consistently, they can ride the bus with that operator and help calm situations and create a better, safer, more efficient transit experience.”
- “[W]alking with a passenger and take them from one bus to another in order to help them facilitate an effective transfer.”
- “[F]ace-to-face customer service… addressing passenger needs behind the yellow line; and engaging in friendly conversation with bus riders.”
Lois Thomas, a transit ambassador on the team, explained to the newspaper that the team receives regular feedback from passengers that “seeing an ambassador onboard the buses makes them ‘feel better,’ ‘safer,’… They know there is someone onboard focused primarily on helping them have a successful transit experience.”
- In Sacramento, California, Leaders “Approves $1M Funding Increase To Enhance Passenger Safety” With Transit Ambassador Team Expansion. For Fox40, Noah Anderson reports on the Sacramento Regional Transit Board “unanimously approving a $1,000,000 increase to its operating budget earlier this week to enhance security services and improve passenger safety” which will expand and enhance the city’s existing transit ambassador team. The funding will “expand the Transit Ambassador team from 40 to 50 employees… hire two additional employees to improve camera monitoring and incident response… [and added] security staffing across light rail trains, stations, and parking lots.”
Roger Dickinson, a Sacramento transit board member, explained to the news station that this Transit Ambassadors expansion “will provide passengers with additional layers of safety… [and is] ‘calibrated to have the right level of response for the particular incident… we want to make sure that everybody is confident that when they ride a train or they ride a bus, it’s going to be a safe and comfortable ride.’” - Illinois Lawmakers Pass “Historic” Transit Bill That Creates Ambassador Program Across Public Transit System. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency For Planning announced the passage of the sweeping legislation last week which addresses several long-term public transit priorities across the state, “including the creation of a transit ambassador program to deploy unarmed staff at transit stations and on vehicles across the system.” The new team will “increase safety for passengers and personnel, provide passenger education and assistance” through “connecting persons with relevant social, medical, and other … social services, and community resources to address unsafe conditions,” as well as “liaising with law enforcement” to respond to serious crimes on the transit system, and “help passengers navigate all transit systems” across the state.