Transit Officers
Questions and Answers
- Who are Transit Officers?
- What authority do they have?
- What training do they receive?
- How will I recognise them?
- How will this affect School Bus users?
- What are my rights and responsibilities?
- What do I do if I have something to say?
Who are Transit Officers?
Transit Officers are appointed as “Transit Officers” under the Public Transport (Passenger Safety) Act. The officers work as part of the Public Transport Division within the Department of Planning and Infrastructure, and provide a vital service in the day to day running of the urban bus network.
Transit Officers:
- are uniformed Northern Territory Government law enforcement officers;
- regularly patrol the urban and school bus networks, interchanges and bus stops to assist you in having a safe and trouble free journey; and
- work in conjunction with the Northern Territory Police and have the authority to identify and deal with unlawful activity in and around public transport facilities by way of infringement, caution, summons or arrest depending on the circumstances of each situation.
What authority do they have?
All Transit Officers are empowered under the Public Transport (Passenger Safety) Act to issue infringement notices (fines) for actions which contravene the Rules of Behaviour that are defined in the Act. Rules of Behaviour deal with matters such as smoking at interchanges, consuming food or intoxicating drinks on buses and any inappropriate behaviour.
Under the Public Transport (Passenger Safety) Act, Transit Officers have the authority to:
- direct people engaged in unacceptable and anti-social behaviour to leave buses, interchanges and bus stops;
- remove people from a bus, bus stop or Interchange;
- require a person’s name, address and date of birth if the Officer reasonably believes that the person may have committed an offence or they can assist in the investigation of an offence;
- direct a person to comply with rules of behaviour;
- if a person contravenes an Officer’s direction to require a person to get off a bus and keep away from a bus station and use reasonable force if necessary;
- issue on-the-spot fines;
- arrest and detain a person (without warrant) where the Officer believes on reasonable grounds the person has committed an “offence warranting arrest” as defined by the Act;
- search and seize dangerous articles from an arrested person.
What training do they receive?
In order to provide the best safety possible with a strong focus on customer service, all Transit Officers go through specialised training which includes the following areas:
- Roles and Responsibilities;
- Cultural Awareness;
- Equity and Diversity;
- Disability Awareness;
- Legislation;
- Collection of evidence;
- Preparation of court documents;
- Communications;
- First Aid; and
- Certificate III Security Operations.
Occupational Health and Safety
Transit Officers are trained to keep themselves and their working environment safe to the highest levels at all times. This is important because the nature of their work may require them to be involved in various high-risk or dangerous situations.
Customer Service
Transit Officers come in contact with passengers every day. It is important that Transit Officers have the skills to ensure that they provide the best customer service possible for passengers. This section of the training includes:
Communication
Good communication skills are required of Transit Officers. When carrying out their duties, Transit Officers will often have to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds, liaise with various people such as police and ambulance officers, write reports and use everyday communication tools such as radios.
Psychological
Transit Officers are expected to perform a wide range of activities under varied conditions, and the success in doing so reflects on their personality and mental agility, as such Trainee Transit Officers are subjected to a Psychological Test to verify their ability to manage such a demanding role.
On successful completion of all training and assessments, trainees then graduate and are appointed as Transit Officers under the Act as part of the Transit Safety Unit in the Department of Planning and Infrastructure, Public Transport Division.
How will I recognise them?
Transit Officers are uniformed Northern Territory Government law enforcement officers.
The Transit Officers’ uniform consists of a teal shirt, black pants and black boots.
They will have free to air radio, a utility belt and identifying badges. Transit Officers will be patrolling the bus networks and interchanges in distinctive vehicles with markings and lights.
How will this affect School Bus users?
Transit Officers work to increase student safety on buses and at bus interchanges, they are required by law to deal with children and young people (youths) in the same way that Northern Territory Police are required under the Youth Justice Act.
Transit Officers are trained in this Act by the Northern Territory Police and work closely with the Police to ensure that youths are treated appropriately according to law.
The Public Transport Division also has a number of Codes of Conduct and Guides for Students and parents to assist them in understanding appropriate behaviour and safe practices when accessing and using public transport.
What are my rights and responsibilities?
To help make the Public Transport bus network more safe and secure the Government has introduced legislation to cover the actions of passengers, bus drivers and Transit Officers. In addition the Department of Planning and Infrastructure (DPI) has produced a number of Policies, Information and Fact Sheets to assist passengers.
The Public Transport (Passenger Safety) Act enables DPI to provide and operate a safe and secure public transport service. A copy of the Act and Regulations can be found at the Register of Legislation database.
What do I do if I have something to say?
The Department of Planning and Infrastructure (DPI) supports your right to provide feedback or make a complaint about policies or practices or a individual Transit Officer. For more information please visit the Transit Safety Feedback page.