Public transit violence has been a growing concern in Canada, and experts believe that cities in the United States have developed strategies that could offer solutions. The pandemic has been cited as a possible factor in the rise of transit violence, with instances of aggression on transit in several Canadian cities making national headlines.
Some American cities have taken a multi-faceted approach to address violence on transit. These approaches address social issues such as housing, mental health, and substance abuse in conjunction with security measures to make subways, buses, and stations safer.
Experts have been particularly interested in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA) SCOPE program, which connects vulnerable residents with social services and aims to keep the transit system safe and clean. The program involves police, social workers, and partnerships with art programs and a pilot project that sees medical students help provide health resources.
Although transit agencies are responsible for moving people, they lack the skill sets necessary to address social issues. The SCOPE program and similar programs aim to address this challenge by pairing safety officers with outreach workers. In Philadelphia, the SAVE program sees police and social workers work together to build relationships with vulnerable populations on transit.
Los Angeles has also implemented measures to improve public safety at one of its busiest stations, including working with city partners to transform a plaza into a community space and having more safety ambassadors and homeless outreach teams on the ground.
Experts believe that the Canadian response to transit violence is missing operating funding to fill transit budget shortfalls coming out of the pandemic. There needs to be greater collaboration and data-sharing between transit agencies, police, city departments, and other agencies to determine the effectiveness of programs and develop a full picture of what’s going on.
As Canadian cities continue to seek solutions to combat transit violence, experts suggest that multi-faceted approaches similar to those implemented in the United States could offer promising solutions.