The city wants transit passengers who feel unsafe to send them a text.
Transit Watch has been in operation since the early 2000s, helping transit passengers to report non-emergency safety concerns.
There's three different ways to contact Transit Watch: texting 74100, phoning 403-262-1000, then #1, or by deploying the 'Help' button located on CTrain station platforms.
In operation since the spring of 2019, the city says it receives around 50 text messages a day.
"When someone uses the text line, they are put in contact with one of the security agents in the transit operations centre. Agents need to know the ‘who, what, where, when, and how,’ so the more details included in the text, the faster an issue can be addressed," said Stephen Tauro, Calgary Transit's communications and information lead, in a release.
The text line can also be used to receive photos and video of incidents of concern. Transit peace officers have access to over 1,200 security cameras installed at Calgary CTrain stations and, once they determine a callers' location, officers can quickly identify the closest CCTV camera to view a platform in real time.
"The job is stressful but also very rewarding. These highly-skilled security agents go through in-depth training and are offered a variety of support resources to ensure they are equipped to handle the day-to-day stresses of the job," Tauro said.
Once a case is opened, the caller is notified that someone is coming. A security agent will "dispatch resources appropriately."
When a transit rider does text Transit Watch, security officers aren't allowed to follow up with the caller due to privacy laws, which means the rider won't necessarily find out how it ended, but will know that the call has been responded to nevertheless.
To discreetly report safety concerns, text 74100. For emergencies, call 911.
