STM introduces 'safety ambassadors' to Metro system

The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) has introduced safety ambassadors to its public transit system to address growing concerns of security and crises.

The agency says in the last few years, it has received many complaints from commuters about a lack of security in the Montreal Metro system, most notably when it comes to mental health, homelessness and drugs.

"It's a new reality [since COVID-19]. We have to adjust. All the transit societies around the world -- Toronto has those similar issues and are adjusting, and that's what we're doing," said STM chairperson Éric Alan Caldwell. "It brings also a new reality. What are the priorities when we fund our transit?"

The transit authority estimates special constables in the Metro witnessed a 75 per cent increase in interventions between 2018 and 2023.

Though most of them do not involve violence, several confrontations with police have led to an increased sense of insecurity among some riders.

Calling the safety ambassadors the "eyes and ears of our stations," the STM explains their jobs will be to mediate the riders' needs and call security if necessary.

"They make sure that clients feel safe and also they take care of and deal with people with different types of issues related to, for example, mental health issues or issues with the STM rules within our stations," said Jocelyn Latulippe, the STM's head of security. "They provide information to people. They also signal people with very important problems."

The goal, he says, is to assign help "faster than before."

The STM says 47,000 calls were made to STM security in 2023.