Increased staffing approved for MTS to enhance safety
SAN DIEGO — More staffing and safety enhancements for the Metropolitan Transit System were approved by its board during a meeting Thursday morning.
MTS said this vote will allow them to hire more staff for security, enhance visibility of staff and support their in-house employees. According to the transit agency, it will come with a price tag of $3.7 million, plus about half a million for uniforms and equipment.
These funds will go towards an additional 34 inspectors, six supervisors, five dispatchers, assistant field operations manager and admin support professional, MTS says.
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“There will be an additional presence on the trolley, and hopefully that will communicate that feeling of safety and security to those that are riding our trolleys,” MTS Board Chair and San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn said in an interview with FOX 5 Thursday.
A customer survey conducted by MTS found that the one thing they want when riding on public transit is to feel safe.
“While we do all we can to provide the best security possible on 67 miles of rail, 62 stations and thousands of bus stops in San Diego city and county, our modest numbers truly limit our presence and our capabilities right now,” Jonah Glasson, president of SD MTS Transit Enforcement Officers Association said during public comment during Thursday’s meeting.
MTS said it will take about seven weeks to finalize the hiring process and bring more people on board.
MTS leaders said during Thursday’s meeting that the increase in staff will cover 60 percent more service areas during both the day and night shift.
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“That’ll be really nice,” said Christopher Thomas, a frequent MTS rider, when asked about the increase in staffing. “I think with more staff you can (get) decreases the drug use that goes on through the trains.”
The vote comes after two deadly attacks at MTS stations in the last month. A 70-year-old man was stabbed at a station in Barrio Logan, while a 62-year-old man was fatally punched at a station in La Mesa.
“There’s no room for these kinds of incidents,” Whitburn said. “We want to ensure that people know that when they get on the trolley they’re gonna be safe they’re going to be secure and that there’s going to be people there ensuring they are in good hands.”
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