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Job Description
Marketing Statement
Ride BART to a satisfying career that lets you both: 1) make a difference to Bay Area residents, and 2) enjoy excellent pay, benefits, and employment stability. BART is looking for people who like to be challenged, work in a fast-paced environment, and have a passion for connecting riders to work, school and other places they need to go. BART offers a competitive salary, comprehensive health benefits, paid time off, and the CalPERS retirement program.
Job Summary
Salary Information
This is a BART Police Officers' Association (BPOA) represented position.
Step 1: $30.21/hourly to Step 5: $37.10/hourly (BPOA Hourly)
Note: All external candidates will start at Step 1.
Who May Apply
All current BART employees and qualified individuals who are not yet BART employees.
Days Off
Transit Ambassadors are scheduled as assigned. (Must be willing to work various shifts, weekends, holidays and overtime.)
Reports To
Supervisor of Crisis Intervention & Outreach Programs
Department
The Bureau of Progressive Policing and Community Engagement’s mission is to engage the BART Police Department in leading transparent, equitable, and innovative policing practices to improve public safety across the diverse communities in which we serve. We are committed to rebuilding trust and nurturing relationships between our communities and law enforcement through a culture of accountability, responsibility, and collaboration.
Current Assignment
The Ambassadors for this position will be responsible for performing a variety of duties designed to provide an added sense of security to BART patrons through their presence on trains and engagement with the public. Ambassadors will interact and engage with BART personnel, the public, and others to establish an official presence and deter disruptive behavior from occurring within the BART system. The Ambassadors will work with management to perform outreach within the community and participate in departmental efforts including informational presentations. This position will require highly motivated individuals that have demonstrated above average communication skills and the ability to interact with diverse communities.
Selection Process
This position is represented by BART Police Officers Association Employees (BPOA). Applications will be screened to assure that minimum qualifications are met. Those applicants who meet minimum qualifications will then be referred to the hiring department for the completion of further selection processes. The selection process for this position may include a skills/performance demonstration, supplemental questionnaire a written examination, and/or an individual or panel interview. Candidates must pass each phase to move on to the next phase of the selection process.
Phase 1: Minimum Qualifications: A review of each applicant’s employment application to verify possession of the minimum qualifications. Note that the hiring department may incorporate additional screening criteria or a supplemental questionnaire to identify candidates with the ideal knowledge and skills beyond the minimum qualifications.
Phase 2: Oral Boards: Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications and/or additional screening may be invited to participate in an oral panel interview.
Phase 3: Background Investigation (may include a medical exam, psychological, and polygraph exams if applicable)
** PLEASE NOTE that the entire selection process may take 6 months up to (1) year. **
The successful candidate must have an employment history demonstrating reliability and dependability; provide copies of certificates, diplomas or other documents as required by law, including those establishing his/her right to work in the U. S.; pass a pre-employment medical examination which includes a drug and alcohol screen, and which is specific to the essential job functions and requirements. Pre-employment processing will also include an extensive background check and successful completion of a polygraph exam. (Does not apply to current full-time BART Police Department employees unless specific job requires additional evaluations). If you are selected to proceed in the background investigative phase of the process, you will be asked to provide some essential documents.
The following are some of the documents you may be asked to provide: naturalization/citizenship papers, birth certificates, school transcripts, proof of selective service (men only), DMV driving history documents, proof of automobile insurance, marriage or divorce certificates (if applicable), and POST certificates (if applicable).
The selection process for this position will be in accordance with the applicable collective bargaining agreement. Candidates who are unsuccessful in the selection process can reapply for future job openings at a later date.
Examples of Duties
Rides BART trains on specified lines at designated times to monitor activities.
Punctually attends daily briefing meetings to receive assignments.
Interacts and engages with BART personnel, the public, and others to establish an official presence and deter disruptive behavior from occurring within the BART system.
Assists in medical emergencies on BART property by gathering information, providing logistical support, and/or providing first-aid as appropriate; summons medical response when needed.
Provides various routine assistance to BART personnel; may operate various office equipment; gathers, maintains and retrieves records as directed; fills out forms and writes basic reports; enters data into appropriate computer database or application.
Prepares written reports on incidents and provides to supervisor in a timely manner; documents other activities as specified by supervisor.
Observes and reports any type of suspicious activity and/or behavior to the appropriate personnel; summons assistance as necessary and as appropriate.
Works with management to perform outreach within the community and participate in departmental efforts including informational presentations.
Participates in and successfully completes required training.
Maintains transparency by wearing body-worn camera to video record contacts.
May be required to operate District vehicles.
Minimum Qualifications
Education
Possession of a high school diploma, GED or recognized equivalent.
Experience
One (1) year of (full-time equivalent) community service or similar experience which involved interacting and engaging with people from a variety of backgrounds.
Other Requirements
Must be available and willing to work varying hours, nights, weekends, holidays and special events as scheduled
Must possess and maintain a valid California Driver’s License
Must be available to work under varied conditions, including inclement weather
Must complete required District training
Must wear designated attire as required by BART
Must undergo an extensive law enforcement background check
WORKING CONDITIONS
Environmental Conditions
Train and station environment; work in confined space; exposure to cold, heat and noise, inclement weather, foul odors, and high voltage.
Physical Conditions
Requires maintaining physical condition necessary for standing for a prolonged period of time, and for walking, bending, stooping, sitting and climbing.
Knowledge and Skills
Knowledge of :- Principles and practices of effective customer service
- Methods and techniques of effective communication
- Current office procedures and practices, including the use of online computer equipment
- Applicable BART rules and safety regulations
Skill/Ability in :- Reading, interpreting and following a variety of instructions
- Communicating effectively, both orally and in writing
- Remaining professional and courteous when dealing with disorderly patrons
- Maintaining basic and accurate records, and other reports as needed
- Exercising sound judgment
- Recognizing unusual, hazardous or emergency situations and taking appropriate actions according to specified regulations
Equal Employment Opportunity GroupBox1
The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 and above), religion, national origin (including language use restrictions), disability (mental and physical, including HIV and AIDS), ancestry, marital status, military status, veteran status, medical condition (cancer/genetic characteristics and information), or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.
The BART Human Resources Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination process to accommodate persons with disabilities or for religious reasons. Please advise the Human Resources Department of any special needs in advance of the examination by emailing at least 5 days before your examination date at employment@bart.gov .
Qualified veterans may be eligible to obtain additional veteran's credit in the selection process for this recruitment (effective Jan. 1, 2013). To obtain the credit, veterans must attach to the application a DD214 discharge document or proof of disability and complete/submit the Veteran's Preference Application no later than the closing date of the posting. For more information about this credit please go to the Veteran's Preference Policy and Application link at www.bart.gov/jobs .
The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) prides itself in offering best in class benefits packages to employees of the District. Currently, the following benefits may be available to employees in this job classification.
Highlights- Medical Coverage (or $350/month if opted out)
- Dental Coverage
- Vision Insurance (Basic and Enhanced Plans Available)
- Retirement Plan through the CA Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS)
- 2% @ 55 (Miscellaneous Members - Classic)
- 2% @ 62 (Miscellaneous Members - PEPRA)
- 3% @ 50 (Safety Members - Classic)
- 2.7% @ 57 (Safety Members - PEPRA)
- Reciprocity available for existing members of many other public retirement systems (see BART website and/or CalPERS website for details)
- 6.65% employer contribution up to annual maximum of $1,868.65
- Sworn Officers & Police Dispatchers: No floating holidays or observed holidays, but 6.6% pay differential provided above base pay rate
- Non-Sworn Staff: 9 observed holidays and 4 floating holidays
Closing Date/Time: 3/10/2025 11:59 PM Pacific -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
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BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit)
Show moreThe BART story began in 1946. It began not by governmental fiat, but as a concept gradually evolving at informal gatherings of business and civic leaders on both sides of the San Francisco Bay. Facing a heavy post-war migration to the area and its consequent automobile boom, these people discussed ways of easing the mounting congestion that was clogging the bridges spanning the Bay. In 1947, a joint Army-Navy review Board concluded that another connecting link between San Francisco and Oakland would be needed in the years ahead to prevent intolerable congestion on the Bay Bridge. The link? An underwater tube devoted exclusively to high-speed electric trains.
Since 1911, visionaries had periodically brought up this Jules Verne concept. But now, pressure for a traffic solution increased with the population. In 1951, the State Legislature created the 26-member San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit Commission, comprised of representatives from each of the nine counties which touch the Bay. The Commission's charge was to study the Bay Area's long range transportation needs in the context of environmental problems and then recommend the best solution.
The Commission advised, in its final report in 1957, that any transportation plan must be coordinated with the area's total plan for future development. Since no development plan existed, the Commission prepared one itself. The result of their thoroughness is a master plan which did much to bring about coordinated planning in the Bay Area, and which was adopted a decade later by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG).
The BART Concept is Born
The Commission's least-cost solution to traffic tie-ups was to recommend forming a five-county rapid transit district, whose mandate would be to build and operate a high-speed rapid rail network linking major commercial centers with suburban sub-centers.The Commission stated that, "If the Bay Area is to be preserved as a fine place to live and work, a regional rapid transit system is essential to prevent total dependence on automobiles and freeways."
Thus was born the environmental concept underlying BART. Acting on the Commission's recommendations, in 1957, the Legislature formed the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, comprising the five counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo. At this time, the District was granted a taxing power of five cents per $100 of assessed valuation. It also had authority to levy property taxes to support a general obligation bond issue, if approved by District voters. The State Legislature lowered the requirement for voter approval from 66 percent to 60 percent.
Between 1957 and 1962, engineering plans were developed for a system that would usher in a new era in rapid transit. Electric trains would run on grade-separated right-of-ways, reaching maximum speeds of 75-80 mph, averaging perhaps 45 mph, including station stops. Advanced transit cars, with sophisticated suspensions, braking and propulsion systems, and luxurious interiors, would be strong competition to "King Car " in the Bay Area. Stations would be pleasant, conveniently located, and striking architectural enhancements to their respective on-line communities.
BART employees in the 1970s.
Hundreds of meetings were held in the District communities to encourage local citizen participation in the development of routes and station locations. By midsummer, 1961, the final plan was submitted to the supervisors of the five District counties for approval. San Mateo County Supervisors were cool to the plan. Citing the high costs of a new system-plus adequate existing service from Southern Pacific commuter trains - they voted to withdraw their county from the District in December 1961.
With the District-wide tax base thus weakened by the withdrawal of San Mateo County, Marin County was forced to withdraw in early 1962 because its marginal tax base could not adequately absorb its share of BART's projected cost. Another important factor in Marin's withdrawal was an engineering controversy over the feasibility of carrying trains across the Golden Gate Bridge.
BART had started with a 16-member governing Board of Directors apportioned on county population size: four from Alameda and San Francisco Counties, three from Contra Costa and San Mateo, and two from Marin. When the District was reduced to three counties, the Board was reduced to 11 members: four from San Francisco and Alameda, and three from Contra Costa. Subsequently, in 1965, the District's enabling legislation was changed to apportion the BART Board with four Directors from each county, thus giving Contra Costa its fourth member on a 12-person Board. Two directors from each county, hence forth, were appointed by the County Board of Supervisors. The other two directors were appointed by committees of mayors of each county (with the exception of the City and County of San Francisco, whose sole mayor made these appointments).
The five-county plan was quickly revised to a three-county plan emphasizing rapid transit between San Francisco and the East Bay cities and suburbs of Contra Costa and Alameda counties. The new plan, elaborately detailed and presented as the "BART Composite Report, " was approved by supervisors of the three counties in July 1962, and placed on the ballot for the following November general election.
The plan required approval of 60 percent of the District's voters. It narrowly passed with a 61.2 percent vote District-wide, much to the surprise of many political experts who were confident it would fail. Indeed, one influential executive was reported to have said: "If I'd known the damn thing would have passed, I'd never have supported it. "
The voters approved a $792 million bond issue to finance a 71.5 mile high-speed transit system, consisting of 33 stations serving 17 communities in the three counties. The proposal also included another needed transit project: rebuilding 3.5 miles of the San Francisco Municipal Railway. The new line would link muni streetcar lines directly with BART and Market Street stations, and four new Muni stations would be built.
The additional cost of the transbay tube -- estimated at $133 million -- was to come from bonds issued by the California Toll Bridge Authority and secured by future Bay Area Bridge revenues. The additional cost of rolling stock, estimated at $71 million, was to be funded primarily from bonds issued against future operating revenues. Thus, the total cost of the system, as of 1962, was projected at $996 million. It would be the largest single public works project ever undertaken in the U.S. by the local citizenry.
After the election, engineers immediately started work on the final system designs, only to be halted by a taxpayer's suit filed against the District a month later. The validity of the bond election, and the legality of the District itself, were challenged. While the court ruled in favor of the District on both counts, six months of litigation cost $12 million in construction delays. This would be the first of many delays from litigation and time-consuming negotiations involving 166 separate agreements reached with on-line cities, counties, and other special districts. The democratic processes of building a new transit system would prove to be major cost factors that, however necessary, were not foreseen.
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