BART officials are hoping a new ambassador program launching
next week will provide riders with a sense of added security and help curb inappropriate
behavior aboard trains.
Starting Monday, 10 BART Ambassadors wearing distinct
uniforms will walk trains in teams of two along the agency’s busiest routes,
BART officials said.
The six-month pilot ambassador program will cost the transit
agency $690,000 and was approved last month in response to concerns about safety
aboard trains.
The ambassadors were recruited from the ranks of BART’s
police community service officers. They completed de-escalation and anti-bias training
on Friday, BART officials said.
“This team will be police employees and trained to
provide a sense of safety and security for our riders on-board trains and deter
crime,” BART Police Chief Ed Alvarez said in January after the BART Board
of Directors approved the program.
The unarmed ambassadors will ride trains from 2 p.m. to
midnight seven days a week, with extra coverage on Saturdays.
The program will focus on the most heavily traveled route —
the transbay corridor between the 12th Street Oakland and San Francisco Civic Center
stations.
During the busy evening commute, the ambassadors will walk
trains on other portions of BART routes, including Oakland Coliseum to Union
City, and Walnut Creek to Pittsburg/Bay Point.
The ambassadors are trained to answer riders’ questions and
will have radios to report security issues and biohazards.
When police are needed, the ambassadors will call an
officer, BART officials said.
Source: NBC Bay Area
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