Silicon Valley public transit service strengthens rider code of conduct

Caltrain just got its first passenger code of conduct, hoping to make behavior expectations more transparent for rowdy riders.

The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, Caltrain’s governing body, unanimously approved the commuter rail service’s code of conduct at its Thursday meeting. Officials said doing so will bring Caltrain up to speed with peer transit agencies and empower conductors to warn or remove passengers when they violate the code.

“The goal here is to set expectations for passengers and allow for enforcement by police without imposing additional duties to onboard staff and risking escalation,” Caltrain Chief Operating Officer Theodore Burgwyn said at the meeting.

Most of the behaviors barred in the code — including smoking, public urination and fare evasion — are already in the state’s Penal Code 640 and Public Utilities Code 99580. Others are specific to Caltrain, which allows alcohol consumption on trains, though the new code specifies that alcohol may not be consumed or sold at stations without permission.

The code also bans harassment, discrimination, opening or tampering with emergency doors and windows, as well as making “a willful disturbance.” That includes fighting, unwanted physical contact, spitting, excessive noise, vandalism and littering, among others.

There will be a two week “education period” starting Oct. 5 before the code goes into effect Oct. 19, Burgwyn said. Caltrain will launch a website on the code of conduct, install decals onboard trains displaying the codes, publish flyers for riders and have conductors make announcements about the codes.

Caltrain spokesperson Randol White said there wasn’t any inciting incident that drove the new codes forward. Informal passenger behavior guidance was always available on Caltrain’s website, but having a formal code of conduct is a transit best practice, he said.

While conductors will be able to warn passengers when they’re in violation, they won’t have the authority to cite riders — that authority is held by the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Transit Police Bureau. The one exception is conductors are able to cite passengers for fare evasion.

Public commenters at the meeting spoke in support of the code of conduct. One detail that’s still being discussed within Caltrain is whether small pets should be allowed in carriers. Some people shared concerns that the animals may be a bite risk. It’s unclear when this separate pet policy will come before the board.

Many local public transit agencies already have codes of conduct for passengers, including BART and VTA.

Adina Levin, co-founder of advocacy nonprofit Friends of Caltrain, said it’s best practice for Caltrain to have a code of conduct, bringing it in line with other transit services. She added that the codes bring clarity to conductors as well as riders.

“As ridership grows rapidly, it is helpful to set expectations to help foster good experience for the many thousands of people using the trains,” Levin said.

This story originally appeared in the Palo Alto Weekly. B. Sakura Cannestra is a reporter for Embarcadero Media.