CTA to pilot two ambassador models — customer-service and crisis-response — as board seeks clearer goals

Acting CTA President Nora Lierz told the board on July 9 that the authority will pilot two non-law-enforcement ambassador models on CTA: an internally staffed customer-experience safety ambassador and a community-based crisis-response model that CTA will seek via an RFP.

Lierz said the pilots are a response to long-standing public interest in adding non-law-enforcement resources to CTA service. She said CTA will pilot both approaches to learn what works: a customer-service-oriented ambassador using internal resources to engage riders and prevent antisocial behavior, and a crisis-response model that will be launched through procurement of external partners to respond to social-service or behavioral health incidents on the system. The pilots will be small-scale and intended to generate lessons for potential expansion.

Lierz also highlighted the CTA's continued partnership with the Chicago Police Department and an upgrade to the CPD strategic decision support center that uses CTA cameras for crime prevention and investigative support.

Board reaction: Several directors welcomed the pilots but urged clearer communications and distinctions between the new ambassador roles and previous or existing security initiatives. Director Chavez encouraged the team to handpick partner organizations and to clearly articulate "what you're doing differently" from past efforts so the pilot does not appear to be “the same with a different name.” Other directors urged the CTA to explore partnerships with the mayor’s office and to consider nontraditional partners beyond existing private security contractors.

Next steps: Lierz said the agency will issue an RFP for the crisis-response model and will form an external and internal advisory group to assess the pilots, gather community feedback, and measure effectiveness. She described the pilots as an initial, experimental step and committed to ongoing updates to the board.