SEATTLE (AP) — Sound Transit employees next year will check with light rail and Sounder commuter train passengers to see if they’ve paid their fare, but they won’t penalize those who don’t. The Seattle Times reports fare engagement ambassadors will instead focus on educating travelers who don’t pay about options and issue warnings as part of a pilot program. The ambassadors will replace the contracted fare-enforcement officers and will receive training in conflict de-escalation and implicit bias. The pilot program is set to begin this spring and comes after Sound Transit data showed Black passengers are cited and punished disproportionately by fare enforcement efforts.
Sound Transit program to suspend fare enforcement citations
