By Cameron Davis:
Photo Credit: LA Metro
Every day, 900,000 people ride the Metro in Los Angeles. The Metro transit system has implemented a system to help improve the transportation experience to be safer and more enjoyable for riders. The Green Shirt Ambassadors program has been in effect for the past year and is trying to turn around its decline in ridership. At most train stations, you can find these ambassadors in their bright, lime green shirts and black pants.
Metro first commenced the pilot version of the program in September 2022, with 350 ambassadors working for a year. The Green Shirt Ambassadors were initially created as an alternative to using law enforcement for fare jumpers, vandalists, and other crimes after the murder of George Floyd. These ambassadors' duties entail helping riders onto train platforms, helping people navigate around significant disruptions, and assisting elderly people when escalators are broken. From 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends, these ambassadors are working to improve the Metro experience.
These Green Shirt Ambassadors help prevent instances such as when a 23-year-old man was stabbed to death on a Metro train back in September, according to a K-Television Los Angeles article. The suspect, Randy Nash, stabbed the victim without any provocation and fled the station on foot right after. Although the Los Angeles Fire Department was able to take the victim to the hospital, unfortunately, he died later due to his severe injuries.
Because of these dangerous events, there has been a decline in the number of people using public transportation. According to a Los Angeles Times Article, prior to the pandemic, 53 percent of riders were female, but this declined to 49 percent in 2022. However, after the Metros Ambassador Program was implemented, the percentage increased by 10 percent, making a steady return to the number of riders pre-pandemic.
While the ambassador program has been in action for only six months, their staff report stated that they prevented 52 opioid overdoses, helped 20 people with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and prevented several suicide attempts. Survey results from Metro noted that 63 percent of riders said they feel safer and more at ease when they see an ambassador riding with them or at the station.
In an interview with Sarah Skelley, the Upper School Latin teacher, she shared her experience as someone who has been riding the Metro since 2019 and the challenges she has faced.
“I had an incident right across from an ex-couple fighting that became physical, and led to assault,” Skelley said.“If [the Metro Ambassadors] had been there for many of these incidents, it might have helped…having people there would at least stop things from escalating, people could step in.”
Since August, Metro has spent $23.5 million on the program, and for the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year, they were allotted a $20 million budget.
Los Angeles is known to be an unwalkable city, so owning a car or taking public transit are the two options when traveling to work or running errands. However, not everyone has the luxury of owning a car or taking an Uber everywhere, so they take the Metro, which also helps offset traffic. Making sure that riders arrive at their destination safely, whether it’s work or grocery shopping, is a priority of the Green Shirt Ambassadors. After its first year in action, the ambassador program has made significant changes in the Metro experience and will continue to do so.