Step aboard with us for ride-along with Transit Security! We walk the walk and learn more about their role is in supporting and fostering a safe and reliable transit system for you.

Transcript

HOST JAWN JANG: Hey, welcome to What’s the T: the TransLink Podcast. I’m your host, Jawn Jang. Here’s what’s coming up on this episode.

PERSON 1: We’re out there to serve you, we’re out there to serve our employees. Don’t be afraid to come up and talk to us if you need help.

JAWN: We’re going on a ride along with Transit Security. Let’s tap in to What’s the T.

[INTRODUCTION MUSIC PLAYS]

VOICEOVER 1: The next station is…

VOICEOVER 2: Welcome to What’s the T: the TransLink Podcast.

JAWN: There are a number of ways you can view public transit. Now, not surprisingly, most of us view it as a method of transportation, taking you from point A to point B efficiently and reliably. It’s the vessel for your commute, whether that’s a bus, SkyTrain, SeaBus, or the West Coast Express. But you can also make the point that transit is a venue, a gathering place that is accessible to the public as you share a common space with other individuals along the way.

By having this perspective, you can better understand why it’s important for TransLink to have a dedicated Transit Security team. Now, you can consider other public venues or institutions, things like universities, hospitals, stadiums for sporting events. The list goes on and on. These are all venues where security is often present and noticeable. The same principle would apply to transit, but consider that the largest stadiums might only fit approximately 50,000 people at any given time, whereas nearly 400,000 customers take transit every single day.

In some ways, Transit Security provides support to a moving city. Again, it’s our busses and trains that are traveling from one stop to another, transporting people as needed. This presents unique challenges for Transit Security, who have a dual role in protecting TransLink employees and property, as well as customer safety and interaction. But so far, I’m only talking the talk…

Producer Allen and I had the opportunity to join our friends at Transit Security for a conversation and a ride along to find out firsthand what that experience was really like. The question is, could we actually walk the walk?

VOICEOVER 3: Oh, no. Oh no oh no no no no no.

JAWN: First, we met with Stephen Lebrechthausen to learn the nuances of working at transit security.

STEPHEN LEBRECHTHAUSEN: Thank you so much, I’m glad to be here.

JAWN: Alright, let’s start with the hardest hitting question that I got for you today.

STEPHEN: Sure.

JAWN: How do you define Transit Security and how does the role that it currently has exist in the great network of transit here in Metro Vancouver?

STEPHEN: Yeah, so, transit, we’re very unique. In North America, we have a three-tiered enforcement strategy.

So, we have the Transit Police, and they have a couple of different entities there. And then we have Transit Security. So, our role is, as Transit Security officers, essentially high visibility presence on the transit system. So that could be as far as Horseshoe Bay, and it can be as far as Mission and everything in between.

So, our job is to have proactive patrols, ride busses, basically be out there in public so people see us and they feel safe when we’re around. That’s our main goal. Obviously, there’s lots of little things in between, like fare enforcement and rules and regulations and whatnot. But the biggest thing is safety. And just being out there as a visible presence really helps the public feel safer on our system.

JAWN: How often do you deal with that question? Like, what’s the difference between Transit Security and Transit Police?

STEPHEN: Quite often, and the main objectives remains the same. I think Transit Police, they’re there for, high visibility presence, we’re there for high visibility presence. Where it divides is kind of where the Criminal Code sets. So they’ll do both higher priority calls, things that we don’t have the resources to deal with. And typically you’ll see a Transit Security officer on a bus, and you may see a Transit Police officer on a train, but that doesn’t mean they’re limited to that. We interchange quite often. so, our roles might be very similar at times, and at other times they’re very different.

We’re fortunate enough to meet up with them and do, we’ll do fare blitzes, for example, where we have a group of Transit Security officers and Transit Police officers, I mean, walkthroughs of coaches, just safety presence as well. So the relationship is definitely there on the job.

JAWN: Gotcha. Debunk this myth, or maybe confirm that it’s real. But the myth being, Transit Security can’t arrest people. True or false?

STEPHEN: False. Transit Security officers can make arrests. Our powers of authorities are a little bit more limited than that of a police officer. For example, if we find somebody committing an offense, we can arrest. If it’s safe to do so, we can make an arrest. All the time, after we arrest somebody, we will transfer them to police. Our goal is not to go out and arrest people. That’s kind of a last resort for us. But again, if that’s the safest thing to do in a situation, then of course we’ll make that arrest and we’ll hand them over to the police.

JAWN: Alright, so then let’s get into some of the nitty gritty details, if you will, working as a Transit Security officer.

What are the, like, the majority of the calls that maybe you would respond to? If something’s happening and they need Transit Security down at X location, more often than not, what do you think that call would be for?

STEPHEN: So, we operate through transit communications. So, transit communications will handle our call. We would respond to different calls throughout the day. We have problem passengers, we have belligerence, we have intoxicated, mental health issues, medical. So, there’s all types of different calls that we go to. There’s certain areas that are busier than others, for example. So, you know, the calls are some days are few and far between, and other days, you know, you’re just running call to call to call.

Probably the most common call we get is there’s somebody sleeping on a bus. So they’ll tell us, “hey, there’s, there’s somebody sleeping on a bus, this is the location that the bus will be at at this time, can you go intercept and, investigate?” So, we don’t know, sometimes we don’t know if that person’s breathing or if they’re simply just having a nap on the bus or what the case may be. But we quite frequently go to those calls. So our job is just to wake the person up and do a well-being check on that person first and foremost. And then, we’ll find out, determine where they need to go or how we can help them further. So that’s how that process works. And our patrol objectives are to ride busses and make operators feel safe.

And so, yeah, we want to support them as much as we can. So we’re out there on the street, in the bus loops, riding busses, and we’re constantly interacting with our operators, making sure that they feel safe and they identify problems to us. And if they do that, then we can go and address those issues for them.

JAWN: Do you feel Transit Security is a thankless position, or do you feel like you get enough love from operators and maybe members of the public to know that, you know, this is an important job and the work you do matters?

STEPHEN: You know what? Just yesterday, we were at Marine Drive station and an elderly lady came up to us, and she said that she had lost her pass, and she was just trying to get home, and she didn’t know how to do that without any money. So, you know, we were able to help her. And, so, when that lady says thank you to you, it means a lot.

It carries a lot of weight, and you bring that with you, for the rest of your shift. We deal with a lot of things throughout the day. Those are the things that kind of stick out and you really want to come to work the next day. So yes, at times it is a thankless job, but there are definitely people out there that make us feel valued for what we’re doing for the public.

JAWN: That’s actually a really good point. It’s not just the negative situations where Transit Security can play a role. It can be very supportive and helpful as well, because in a lot of situations, you might be the first line of customer interaction, customer experience that someone might have if they’ve lost something, if they’re just simply lost, right?

We got a lot of tourists here in Metro Vancouver. So, in a way, you kind of act as a transit ambassador in certain different roles, right?

STEPHEN: That’s the beauty of being out there in the public. We’re in uniform. We have work patrol vehicles. So, people feel enticed to come approach us. If they have a problem, they’ll come approach us.

It might not even be related to transit, but thankfully, we have the resources. If we can’t deal with it, we have the ability to get somebody there who can. So again, that’s what makes this job really interesting and fun to come to work.

JAWN: And, maybe just my last question here for you then, Stephen. And again, really appreciate your time on this today.

What’s the one takeaway you want listeners having as they listen to this episode? If there’s one thing they pick up in this conversation with you, what would that message be?

STEPHEN: Don’t be afraid to come approach us if you have a problem on the system. If you want to make a compliment, if you want to make a complaint, we’re there for the public.

We welcome conversations from the public at all times.

JAWN: With our conversation with Stephen in the bag, Producer Allen and I felt reasonably prepared to join Stephen and his colleague, Vivita Regie, on a ride along to get a firsthand look at what it’s like being Transit Security.

JAWN: Vivita, maybe you can just briefly explain that, like, the moment you start your shift to the end of your shift, like, what’s, what’s a quick walk through what that might look like for you?

VIVITA REGIE: So we always start off with briefing, so we’ll go over any important highlights that happened the night before or throughout the week.

Just have to be mindful about any areas we need to have more presence. So typically, the Main Street Skytrain station, we do have more presence there and along Hastings to support our operators. And then…and then we get packed up, grab our radio and gear, and we head to the car, where we’ll start off, in our areas that are assigned for that day.

And then along the way, we might get calls, or we might choose that we might ride a bus and, support the operator and do a fare check on the coach.

JAWN: Right.

VIVITA: Or it could just be fare enforcement at fare gates, or checking different coaches at areas like Marine drive station, that different bus loops.

JAWN: So, Vivita, we’re just about to turn up onto Marine Drive. Pretty busy sort of artery throughout Vancouver on the south side. When you’re out on the roads like this, do you keep your eyes open and peeled for other transit vehicles just to make sure, like, oh, okay, they’re moving along pretty nicely, or, oh, no, like maybe a trolley bus has a wire that got knocked down.

So, what are you usually doing when you’re on the roads and you’re scanning around like that?

VIVITA: Yeah, we do keep an eye out for, like, mostly our bus drivers. We usually know where timing points are, so if they throw their four ways on and if it is at a timing point, we’ll know, okay, It’s just a timing point.

Whereas if it’s somewhere in the middle here and they throw their four ways on, there might be something else going on. So we do try to check in with them to see that everything’s okay.

VIVITA: So we’re just here at Marine Drive station. So it usually is a rush hour traffic. So it is a little bit busier at this time of day.

Students coming back from school or going to school, people getting off work. So we do have a lot more people out and about, we’re able to do fare enforcement. Focus more on that. And because it is a little busy, we may get calls. So, in the meantime, we’ll just make sure we’re doing fare enforcement.

JAWN: Yeah,

VIVITA: Yeah.

JAWN: You know, Stephen was also telling me, too. It’s like, yes, you’re here for the fare enforcement, but at any given moment, someone might come up to you and have a question.

VIVITA: Exactly.

JAWN: They might need directions on how to get to Waterfront Station from Marine Drive, where we are. They might have a question like, when’s the next bus coming?

So in a lot of ways you’re like the front line of customer service.

VIVITA: Yeah.

JAWN: Right?

VIVITA: Yeah.

JAWN: So how often do you maybe have to do that sort of dual role of being Transit Security, but also being like an ambassador, in a way?

VIVITA: I feel like it’s a good even.

JAWN: Yeah?

VIVITA: I think a lot of it is questions like, “if I’m trying to get the SeaBus, where do I, which train do I take?”

Or, “what’s the fastest way to get to 22nd station?” and we just give them options.

JAWN: Yeah, for sure.

VIVITA: Yeah.

JAWN: Especially since, too, like, Vancouver, we get a lot of tourists.

VIVITA: We do.

JAWN: And people that have never been here before but are trying to use the transit system to get around. And so, you know, I’m sure that’s welcoming for them, too, knowing that, you know, okay, great, there’s someone here who is in uniform that I can talk to about this.

Aside from doing the daily duties required as a Transit Security officer, there are special things that happen throughout the year in Metro Vancouver that you play a big role in. So, something like the Celebration of Lights.

VIVITA: Yeah.

JAWN: Tens of thousands of people making it to English Bay to go in to check out those fireworks for the three nights that they’re on.

How does transit security help to make sure that everything goes smoothly over there?

VIVITA: Yeah. Well, with the Celebration of Light, specifically, there’s a lot of people trying to get on the busses to get to English Bay in time to watch the fireworks.

JAWN: Yeah!

VIVITA: So there’s a lot of, like, pushing and shoving and people have opened liquor, and we want to make sure we’re there to support the operators and that we’re there for the customers, too. So no one’s, like, pushing each other. Not causing any, like, physical altercation.

JAWN: Right.

VIVITA: So, yeah, we’re there as presence.

JAWN: Also must be nice because you get to see the fireworks, I hope?

VIVITA: No…

JAWN: No, not so much?

VIVITA: No, yeah.

JAWN: Okay, fair enough, fair enough. What about in the instance of, like, you know, big concerts coming to town? And so the area of focus kind of becomes that Stadium–Chinatown Station area, the downtown area where Rogers Arena might be or BC Place. What does that look like for you, then?

VIVITA: With big concerts, it always is crowd control for us. Especially in that area. So, it’s more Skytrain.

JAWN: Yeah.

VIVITA: So I think Transit Police does have a little bit more presence in that area.

JAWN: Gotcha.

VIVITA: Their CSO program as well.

JAWN: Yeah.

VIVITA: We do try to help out whenever we can. We will come and support. Especially SeaBus, SeaBus gets quite busy.

JAWN: Yeah, I bet!

VIVITA: We’ll go over there and help out.

JAWN: Yeah. Okay.

VIVITA: Yeah.

JAWN: Interesting. What’s one thing you think that people don’t know about when it comes to transit security that you think maybe is worth really sharing with them?

VIVITA: Um…I think sometimes people forget that we are there to support them and make sure that they feel safe when they’re taking transit, whether it’s on the busses, SkyTrain.

If there were to be a call and we’re at station doing fare enforcement, we will go on the trains and check up and make sure that everyone’s okay.

JAWN: Sure, yeah.

VIVITA: Yeah. So, I think that is the main thing. And we come to talk to you. It’s not that you’re in trouble, we just want to make sure that you’re okay, you’re not having some sort of medical emergency.

JAWN: Right.

VIVITA: Yeah. So people think that, oh, if someone’s talking to someone, if we’re talking to any of the people, it means that they’re in trouble.

But that’s not necessarily the case.

JAWN: Right, right. It’s more so just, like, making sure you’re good, making sure that everyone else is safe as well.

VIVITA: Yeah.

JAWN: And then seeing how to evaluate the situation afterwards, right?

VIVITA: Exactly, yeah.

JAWN: Because I think that’s always the thing. It’s always about safety. Safety has to be the number one thing. So I can appreciate that.

VIVITA: Yeah.

JAWN, VOICEOVER: I know it’s a message that we’ve repeated on this podcast again and again, but safety is always the priority. For our customers, for our employees. Everything else has to follow suit. Transit security plays an important role in making sure your next transit journey is as pleasant and as safe as possible, because whether you view transit as a venue or as a service, you should know that you can confidently use our system knowing that you’re in good hands.

My thanks to Stephen, Vivita, and the entire transit security team for the work they do and allowing us to visit, producer Allen for providing security to my ideas, both big and small, and of course, my thanks to you for listening and subscribing. My name is Jawn Jang, and until next time. Have a safe trip.