The Transit Police force is committed to maintaining order, promoting safety and reducing crime on the transit system in Metro Vancouver. Transit Police officers have the same authority and powers of other municipal police officers in British Columbia, as well as issue violation tickets for fare evasion and other infractions.
Transit Police Service responsibilities include:
- making the system safe by arresting those wanted for outstanding warrants or for criminal offences
- investigating criminal behavior and the implementation of crime reduction strategies
- patrolling trains, stations and transit property for added safety and security of transit passengers and employees
- enforcing provincial and federal laws, including issuing violation tickets for violations of the Transit Conduct and Safety Regulations, Liquor Control Act and the Motor Vehicle Act, to name a few
To contact Transit Police, call 604.515.8300. If it's an emergency, call 911.
You can also request the assistance of Police, Fire or Ambulance by alerting TransLink staff in person, or by using the safety and security features listed in the Bus & SeaBus, SkyTrain and WCE tabs on this page.
If you're reporting an emergency over the phone, or in person, you can assist emergency responders by providing them with following information:
- mode of transit (Bus, SeaBus, SkyTrain, West Coast Express)
- location (city, last stop/station)
- direction of travel
and depending on your mode of transit:
- bus route number
- bus vehicle number (usually located at the front of the bus above the windshield)
- SkyTrain vehicle number (three digit number located on either end of SkyTrain cars on the inside and out)
- West Coast Express train number
See Something, Say Something
We have two tools designed to make it easy to stay connected and report non-emergency crime from your mobile phone. The Metro Vancouver Transit Police mobile app connects all Transit Police channels into one single, mobile application called OnDuty. Download the free Transit Police OnDuty app on iTunes and Google Play today!
Transit Police also has a report-by-text system where transit riders can text (SMS) Transit Police Dispatch from their mobile phones in real-time. Send text messages to 87.77.77 and dispatchers will respond appropriately.
When to call 911
When you dial 911 in Metro Vancouver, you're connected to E-Comm, the regional emergency call centre. Once you've provided your location, you'll be forwarded to the appropriate jurisdictional police dispatch centre, which will then contact Transit Police and/or other appropriate emergency responders.
An emergency is a situation where there is an immediate threat to a person or property; a serious crime is in progress (fight, break and enter) or has just occurred (sexual assault or robbery); or, there is a suspicious circumstance that may indicate criminal activity (suspicious package, passenger behaving suspiciously).
A non-emergency is a crime where there is no suspect and/or there has been a lengthy delay since the crime occurred.
If you're unsure of how serious an incident is, call 911 and E-Comm will advise whether or not to call Transit Police non-emergency number: 604.515.8300.