With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Metro Is Sending Help For Riders In The Form Of 300 Ambassadors
The Metro K Line opens to the public in Los Angeles on Oct. 7, 2022.
(
Raquel Natalicchio
/
for LAist
)
Metro is launching a pilot program that's assigning roughly 300 new unarmed transit ambassadors to ride the agency's buses and trains to help riders navigate the system safely. They'll be there seven days a week, from early morning until 10 p.m., according to the agency.
Metro spokesperson Dave Sotero said the ambassadors can serve as extra eyes and ears around the system.
"They can report maintenance issues, cleanliness issues and even safety concerns directly to the appropriate Metro departments for expedited response," he said.
Safety concerns
There have been 21 deaths on Metro's trains and buses this year. Gina Osborn, Metro's chief safety officer, said most were due to overdoses. She also presented data showing a 99% increase in complaints from passengers possessing or using drugs on buses, trains and platforms on Feb. 23.
Sponsored message
Metro said its rail boardings are at 62% of pre-pandemic levels, and bus ridership is at 71%. On March 1, the Los Angeles City Council approved a $54 million extension for the Los Angeles Police Department to provide transit policing services on Metro, despite objections from activists. Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez said the extension covers just 236 officers for six months.
What's next
Sotero said the ambassadors will not be replacing existing security staff or law enforcement, but they will help riders get where they're going, help calm down disputes and maybe even convince Angelenos that public transit is easy and safe. He added that said the ambassador pilot program is one of the country's most extensive, if not the largest, ambassador programs. It's funded for up to five years.
Trending on LAist
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray? -
Hexavalent chromium is the same carcinogen Erin Brockovich warned about in the 1990s, but researchers say more study is needed on the potential health effects of nanoparticles detected earlier this year. Experts will answer questions at a webinar this evening. -
The budget gap has led to a tuition hike, along with spending cuts and fewer course offerings. At the same time, generative AI already has transformed higher ed — including post-grad job prospects. -
The construction work is part of a $143.7 million plan to rehabilitate pavement between Van Nuys and Westwood along the Sepulveda Pass. -
Over $17 million has already been raised to support and oppose Prop. 50, California’s congressional redistricting measure. We fill you in on how to track the money ahead of the special election on Nov. 4. -
A City Council committee voted 3-1 to advance a proposal that — if passed by the full council — would explore ending parking requirements citywide.
Best of LAist
