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
-
As the Nov. 5 election draws closer, many of us have yet to vote and are looking for some help. We hope you start with our Voter Game Plan. Since we don't do endorsements, we've also put together a list of other popular voting guides across the political spectrum. -
A collaboration devised as part of Getty's PST ART taught students about environmental issues from the perspective of communities across the Americas. -
After his debut at 19 in Major League Baseball, Fernandomania swept L.A. and the nation. -
Federal prosecutors say the longtime O.C. supervisor has agreed to plead guilty and resign in a conspiracy to steal millions of dollars meant to feed needy seniors, following a months-long LAist investigation and federal probe. -
O.C. Supervisor Andrew Do told a mental health nonprofit based in Irvine to hire the woman, according to multiple people briefed on the contract. -
After taking a buyout from a major company, an L.A.-born producer is struggling to make ends meet.
Best of LAist
