create the Transit Cleanliness & relief team

 

The purpose of this act is to improve rider safety and cleanliness, ensuring that each individual can feel at ease

during their public transit trips. Establishing the TCCU (Defined in definitions) will lower crime levels on public

transit.

 

Saint Paul residents, including myself, have repeatedly expressed concerns about unsafe conditions on trains and buses.

These behaviors can include the following; aggressive behavior, visible substance use, and overcrowding by unhoused

individuals using transit vehicles as temporary shelter.

Metro Transit and the City of Saint Paul currently operate outreach and cleanup efforts, but rider reports + safety

assessments show issues remain concentrated on specific rail segments & stations. Strengthening sanitation schedules &

coordinating shelter pathways will improve rider confidence.

This act will support both the public safety and public health without criminalizing homelessness.

 

"Metro Transit" - The public transportation operator serving the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Transit Cleanliness & Comfort Unit (TCCU) - A three-person team consisting of:

One Outreach Specialist trained in mental-health response, substance-use intervention, and social-service referrals;

One Transit Safety Officer trained in de-escalation and non-lethal conflict management;

One Sanitation Technician responsible for rapid cleaning and hygiene monitoring on transit vehicles and platforms

 

The bill will be funded by the state & Metro Transit. Funding is TBD.

 

Any designated transit service provider failing to comply with the training, reporting, staffing, or cleaning standards

required by this act shall be subject to:

A written notice of noncompliance;

Mandatory corrective action within 60 days;

Suspension or reduction of applicable funding for repeated or deliberate noncompliance.

 

This act shall be effective on January 1st, 2026.