Safety on Transit
A coordinated response to safety
We're working with City partners including Calgary Police Service, and Calgary’s many community social service partners to improve safety on the transit system.
Increased peace officers patrols
Our uniformed Calgary Transit peace officers are highly trained and skilled professionals, who help ensure you get home safely every day. They patrol our transit systems 24 hours, seven days a week, proactively preventing disorder and providing help in emergency situations. Night patrols are conducted in partnership with Transit peace officers and Calgary Police Service officers seven nights a week.
As part of our growth strategy, we have increased the number of Transit peace officer positions by 25 per cent in the past year. Fourteen peace officers were deployed in February 2023 and an additional 14 officers are currently in training and will graduate in May 2023.
New Transit station security guards
Transit station security guards are staffed to select stations and respond to activity in real time to resolve issues as they’re happening. They also provide a visible deterrent for criminals, drug usage and social disorder. Fourteen new station security guards have been deployed since the program launched in October 2022, with an additional 17 to be hired by May 2023.
Calgary Transit Ambassador teams
Transit ambassadors maintain visibility, build rapport, and support Transit customers with wayfinding or questions on trains and platforms.
Currently, Transit has 20 ambassadors working multiple shifts between 6:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. The ambassadors, who wear reflective vests, can be found at Ctrain stations or riding the system.
Increased surveillance
The City has increased its CCTV surveillance - we have over 1,600 CCTV cameras across our CTrain system that are monitored 24/7 by security agents in our Operations Control Centre. The centre is responsible for dispatching officers, monitoring CCTV and responding to safety texts from customers.
Lighting upgrades
Transit has upgraded lighting on CTrain platforms from Downtown West/Kerby to City Hall. Enhanced lighting allows security cameras to capture clearer footage of platform activity and enables greater visibility across and within platforms, increasing rider and staff safety. In addition to significantly improving visibility, the upgraded fixtures use highly efficient LED lights which will serve to reduce overall energy consumption and minimize maintenance costs for the next 10 years.
Calgary Transit Watch service
The Calgary Transit Watch service was established to make it easier for customers to report safety concerns while riding transit. Text 74100 or use the help phone/button on CTrains and platforms to report immediate safety and security issues, such as disorder, areas needing attention or cleaning, infrastructure issues, broken glass, or harassment.
Community outreach for people experiencing vulnerability
Calgary Transit’s Community Outreach Team is a partnership between Transit peace officers and the Downtown Outreach Addiction Partnership (DOAP) team from ALPHA house, to provide compassionate access to social supports. Officers do welfare checks, advocate for clients and connect them with a variety of social support including accessing shelter, detox treatment and healthcare.
This proactive work not only assists the individual in the moment, but it also reduces the load on emergency services resources and increases public safety.