SEATTLE — Whether it's part of your daily commute on something you use occasionally, Sound Transit riders will now have to show proof they've paid to be on the train.
The agency has hired 75 Fare Ambassadors, who will work in groups of two. At any given stop, they'll get on both ends of a car, announce who they are, and begin checking the fares of every passenger.
"It's not punitive, we want to help show folks how to use the system and get a hold of affordable fare," Rachelle Cunningham, ST's public information officer, said.
To understand how Sound Transit arrived at this point, Cunningham says you have to go back to 2018.
"At that time, we had fare enforcement officers and they were wearing uniforms that people thought looked like the police. There were complaints those folks were targeting people of color, that it was not equitable," she said.
Cunningham said that feedback made them take a long, five-year look at their policies and procedures in place. ST then worked with community groups to rework its policies and procedures which led to the fare ambassadors. It was implemented as a pilot project in 2021. It became a permanent program in 2022.
"Those folks are not officers. They're employees of Sound Transit. Previously, they had been contractors," Cunningham said. "Their role is customer service, helping people understand how to use the system effectively and checking for fare compliance."
Cunningham said they've heard positive feedback from riders.
"They're much less intimidating. They're very friendly. They're offering assistance," she said. Despite concerns, Cunningham insists fare ambassadors will not target specific people
"The ambassadors get a lot of training, anti-bias training, de-escalation training. It's a very long course list. 100+ hours of training. They learn how to interact with people with disabilities and youth. They're trained in first aid," Cunningham said.
Kyler Parris, an avid public transit rider, said he hopes all the training is actually utilized. Recently, he posted on social media about an experience he called uncomfortable. It involved fare ambassadors.
"One of the fare enforcement people comes by and gives me a thumbs up and they go straight to this guy that has a duffle bag and a box," Parris said. That experience reaffirmed how he already felt about fare ambassadors.
"It's a very blunt and imprecise tool for getting people off the train who look like they don't belong there," he said. "I spoke up for the guy and said I'd pay his fare if that was the problem, but obviously it wasn't.
Parris said the ambassadors called security on the man for being belligerent.
"That didn't fit with what I saw. I told the security guy this guy really isn't doing anything wrong." he said
As fare enforcement begins, Parris hopes those in need will get help.
"I wish that they would help people sign up for Orca Lift which gives you free and reduced rides on transit," he said.
Whatever your experience with a fare ambassador, Cunningham encourages you to give the agency feedback.
As part of their policy and procedure overhaul, ST will give riders two warnings before issuing a ticket. You'll be fined $50 and $75 the third and fourth time you're caught.
However, Cunningham said you won't have to pay that fine if you take an online course, agree to be part of a focus group or make a pledge to pay in the future. However, if you're caught a fifth time, you'll more than likely be referred to court and face a $124 fine.
According to Cunningham, you'll only be asked to leave a train if you don't provide a fare ambassador with some form of identification. It can be a license, an ID card, a student ID, or you can give them your name. ST needs some way to track you in their system.
In their financial plan, Sound Transit assumes fare revenue will bring in $5.5B by 2046. Cunningham said ST is hopeful the fare ambassadors will encourage compliance to help them reach that target.