This year, we welcomed many new employees to our Sound Transit crew, including a new team of Fare Ambassadors.
Their focus is on passenger education and customer service rather than enforcement, with particular emphasis on how to purchase ORCA cards and passes and how income-eligible passengers can get ORCA LIFT cards and subsidized annual passes.
If you ride Link or Sounder regularly, you'll be seeing them in the new year.
So let's take a minute to get to know them!
Fare Ambassador Tafadswa Mapiye has worked at Sound Transit for about two months. Previously, he was a youth sports and teen programs district supervisor with the YMCA.
He is passionate about helping youth and his community. While riding the trains and checking fares, he is also able to assist people "with socioeconomic difficulties with resources such as where they can get subsidized ORCA cards and where they can find overnight shelters and soup kitchens."
He also enjoys "having those teachable moments on how to use ORCA cards or the Transit Go Ticket app."
Now, on to the questions!
Q: What do you tell your friends you do for work?
A: As a Fare Ambassador, my job is to help our passengers and the community at large access Sound Transit and partner organization resources.
Q: What’s your passion outside of your job?
A: Working with youth in my community and also volunteering with youth living with Type 1 Diabetes at an overnight summer camp in Georgia.
Q: What attracted you to work at Sound Transit?
A: Being the face for Sound Transit, helping my community out with accessing fares even when they can’t afford to pay.
Q: How do you get to work?
A: I use Metro and the Sounder, and sometimes Uber.
Q: What three things would you take with you to a desert island (besides food and water)?
A: A book, enough insulin and extra clothing.