‘We will enforce the law’Ī $2 million cash infusion from a state transportation omnibus bill recently signed into law by Gov. That’s the vision presented Thursday by officials with Metro Transit and the Metropolitan Council, as well as three state lawmakers, all of them members of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party who played no small role in directing major new funding toward the transit authority to clamp down on crime and improve the passenger experience. And if things get really out of hand, a quick call to Metro Transit police could be in order. If that passenger doesn’t pay their fare, a civilian transit ambassador will be there to educate them on how to pay, ask them to exit the train or issue an administrative citation - a non-criminal fine roughly equivalent to a parking ticket. They also hope to complete a referral form, connecting the passenger within 48 hours to housing services, mental help or programs like the Circle of Discipline, a Minneapolis-based mentoring initiative run in part by former professional boxer Adonis Frazier. When a light rail passenger looks desperate, DonEsther Anderson and the outreach team from A Mother’s Love want to be there to greet them with a small care package comprised of snacks and toiletries.

Metro transit