CTA Deploys $9.6 Million Safe Ride Specialist Pilot on Rail Network

The Chicago Transit Authority has committed $9.6 million in allocated funding, plus additional regional money, to a pilot program that puts trained deescalation teams on trains and at stations across the Blue, Green and Red lines.

The teams — branded safe ride specialists — combine mental health clinicians, peer support specialists, crisis intervention specialists and community violence intervention experts. They ride the system, monitor rail stations and bus terminals, and coordinate with police, security and frontline workers. CTA selected four deployment areas using incident data and staff feedback.

"Safe ride specialists are the latest addition to our expanded safety approach that's designed to help every rider feel welcome on public transit," said CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen. "The increased presence of both police officers and trained crisis intervention specialists across the system is critical to our ability to continue to reduce crime and support riders in need on CTA."

What do the specialists actually do?

The specialists wear branded vests and fill two distinct roles:

• Crisis intervention specialists support riders experiencing housing instability, mental health crises and substance abuse disorders, connecting them to treatment, housing and social services.
• Community violence intervention specialists engage youth and young adults, working to build positive relationships, de-escalate potential conflicts and redirect energy into constructive behaviors.

CTA trains all of them in deescalation to handle passenger incidents or assist riders in need without defaulting to law enforcement.

Four social service organizations partner on the program: Healthcare Alternative Systems (HAS), Street Samaritans, Housing Forward and Metropolitan Peace Initiatives. Each team carries outreach materials, Narcan and hygiene kits. The partners help riders reach shelters, respite locations and mental healthcare.

"HAS is excited to partner with the CTA to provide person-centered, trauma-informed services in a space that all Chicagoans rely on every day," said HAS CEO Millie Adan. "Crisis doesn't always happen in a clinic; it happens in public and on transit systems."

CTA developed the program during a workshop in August 2025 with riders, mental health workers, social service experts, community organizations and labor partners.

How will CTA measure results?

The agency will track several performance indicators: the number of incidents deescalated without law enforcement, decreases in service delays, improved safety and connections to social services. These are the metrics that will determine whether the pilot continues.

The Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) will also use the results to shape its regional safety initiatives.

"We look forward to seeing the impact that safe ride specialists have," said NITA Interim Executive Director Jamie Rhee. "It is important that we use a variety of approaches to help people feel safer on the system, and the results of this pilot will help us inform a long-term public safety strategy."

What does this change for riders? A visible, non-police presence on four of the system's highest-incident corridors, with a mandate to resolve conflicts before they trigger arrests or service disruptions — the outcome CTA will test against its incident and delay data.

Part of a broader security push

The pilot builds on CTA's existing partnership with the Chicago Police Department and the Cook County Sheriff's Office, under which officers patrol the system. CTA reports that partnership has produced a 75% increase in monthly system policing hours. Both initiatives fall under the security enhancement strategy the agency outlined earlier this year.

After CTA evaluates the pilot's performance indicators, the agency will decide whether to continue the program — and NITA will fold the findings into the region's long-term public safety planning.