What Chicago can learn from transit ambassador programs around the country

Earlier this year, the RTA released Transforming Transit, a vision for the regional transit system with $1.5 billion in annual operating funding supported by a stronger RTA. One popular idea that could come to fruition with increased funding is a transit ambassador pilot program. Transit ambassadors provide a friendly human presence on buses and trains and at stations, offering services like wayfinding, encouraging compliance with rider codes of conduct for issues like smoking, reporting maintenance and cleanliness issues, connecting people to social services, and more.

Transit agencies across the country have enacted ambassador programs over the past several years, including the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA), Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), LA Metro, and many more.

For example, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) launched an ambassador program in 2017 and expanded it systemwide in 2020. Among other duties, ambassadors in Boston are trained to assist customers with disabilities, helping customers enter or exit stations, board vehicles, or use fare vending machines. Ambassadors also have tools to help non-English speakers get around, including tablets with Google Translate and “I speak” flashcards.

Growing the presence of non-police personnel across Chicago’s regional system was a priority recommendation coming out of RTA’s 2024 Safety and Security Summit on Regional Transit. Rider survey data consistently shows people feel safer and more comfortable when trained staff are present at stations and stops and on transit vehicles.

A deeper dive into LA Metro's transit ambassador program could illustrate how a similar program might improve the rider experience in Chicago.

LA Metro

One of the largest and most influential programs—on a system similar to Chicago’s—was launched by LA Metro in September 2022. The Metro Ambassador Pilot Program was created with input from LA Metro’s Public Safety Advisory Committee as part of a new, multilayered approach to security that put an emphasis on building trust with riders. This conversation around a new vision for public safety came about after the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests.

“The Board saw a need for an additional uniformed presence on our system that reflected our ridership—an ambassador program with personnel who were diverse and mirrored the ridership we serve,” said Karen Parks, LA Metro’s Senior Director, Customer Programs and Services, who oversees the agency’s ambassador program.

Metro Ambassadors are not security officers and do not replace existing security personnel or law enforcement. Rather, they are an added workforce that collaborates with other Metro departments to make the system safer for riders. While the program started with ambassadors contracted out through third-party vendors to launch as quickly as possible, LA Metro’s ambassadors are now being brought in-house as union employees with the agency, which will allow for streamlined operations. LA Metro has more than 300 ambassadors, with more than 200 deployed each day in two shifts.

Parks said data shows that riders are often more comfortable approaching ambassadors than law enforcement officers with certain nonviolent emergencies, such as securing treatment for riders who may be experiencing a life-threatening opioid emergency.

“When you look at Narcan [a lifesaving drug used to treat opioid overdose] alone, although our security and law enforcement partners carry Narcan, our ambassador numbers quadruple our law enforcement numbers,” Parks said. “They approach ambassadors more because of their care-based approach. To date we’ve saved about 230 lives since March 2023.”

Parks said LA Metro ambassadors have had 28 incidents where someone approached an ambassador saying they were experiencing suicidal thoughts, and ambassadors were able to connect them to life-saving resources. Overall, since their launch in September 2022, LA Metro ambassadors have had more than 1.5 million engagements, which can range from helping with wayfinding to saving a life. They also report graffiti or other cleanliness and maintenance issues.

The agency conducted an extensive rider survey to evaluate the success of the program, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Nearly two thirds of riders who had encountered an ambassador agreed that their presence helped riders feel safer. Sixty one percent want to see more ambassadors on the system and 54% said their presence makes them want to ride Metro more often.

“By and large, I believe that this program is tremendously successful,” Parks said.

Expansion of Narcan access was also a priority recommendation of RTA’s safety summit in 2024. Currently on the RTA system, local health departments partner with operating agencies to increase availability of Narcan by making it available to human services contractors or in free health vending machines at stations, facilities, and platforms across the regional transit system. Metra police also carry Narcan when on duty.

Join the Transit is the Answer Coalition

Transforming Transit is the RTA’s vision for a world-class regional transit system with $1.5 billion in annual operating funding supported by a stronger RTA. To achieve this system, Illinois policy makers must reach a transit funding solution by this May to avoid service cuts of up to 40 percent. The RTA is working with policy makers at all levels of government to develop sustainable funding solutions and improve the system for all riders. Join the Transit is the Answer Coalition to help bring about the legislative changes needed to support transit at this pivotal moment.