Metro police cite ridership gains, staffing and care‑unit expansion as safety priorities ahead of World Cup

Metro Police Chief Ben Tin briefed a Houston City Council committee Tuesday on safety, staffing and operational changes across the Metro transit system as ridership rebounds and the city prepares for FIFA-related events.

Ben Tin, Metro chief of police, said Metro is seeing rising ridership and has prioritized a “safer, cleaner, more reliable and more accessible” system by increasing visibility, decentralizing operations and expanding social‑service responses. “Safety and security for our riders and to the public is not 1 of the most important things, it is the most important thing, and it is our highest priority,” Tin said.

The briefing came as council members pressed Metro for details on where authority begins and ends with partner agencies, how the agency handles homeless contacts on trains and platforms, and how Metro will staff and stage responses for large events during the 2026 World Cup.

Why it matters: Metro serves a wide region of Greater Houston and runs about 75 million trips a year, Tin said, roughly 200,000 riders per weekday on average. Council members called the combination of higher ridership, major upcoming events and long‑running homelessness and quality‑of‑service…