Abstract
A number of U.S. (public transport agencies (particularly rail systems) launched transit ambassador programmes in the 2010s and 2020s. Unarmed transit ambassadors serve as “eyes and ears” on transit vehicles and at stations. They help riders with customer service tasks, report incidents to other, more specialised staff, and broadly serve as figures of authority and vigilance where needed. Ambassadors orient riders; offer ticketing help; greet passengers and answer questions; and report crime, uncleanliness, and broken equipment. In emergency circumstances, ambassadors may render medical aid and respond to overdoses. They de-escalate altercations and serve as a first point of contact to people in homelessness. In the U.S., the nationwide racial reckoning after the 2020 murder of George Floyd by police prompted transit agencies to start or expand their civilian ambassador programmes. Very little research has studied transit ambassador programmes or evaluated their effectiveness.
