Safety Tips & How to Ride Guide

Here are some tips and reminders to make riding the bus an enjoyable experience for everyone.

1. To avoid delays, please have your fare ready before you board the bus. Centro drivers are unable to give change. Customers inserting bills larger than $1 into the farebox will be issued a "fare credit" pass for the overpayment, which can be used to pay for future rides on Centro buses.
2. If you qualify for Centro's reduced fare programs, you MUST show your Centro ID EACH time you ride.
3. Enter by the front door only.
4. If you require a transfer, be sure to ask the driver for one when boarding your first bus.
5. You may request any bus equipped with a kneeling device to be lowered for use in boarding or exiting the bus.
6. If you need assistance boarding the bus with a child in a stroller, request to use the lift. Strollers MUST be folded up while the bus is in motion.
7. Use the handrails when boarding and exiting the bus.
8. Remain seated while approaching your bus stop.
9. While standing on the bus, use handrails when the bus is in motion.
10. Do not stand forward of the white or yellow line at the front of the bus.
11. To request a bus stop, pull the cord above the window or push the yellow strip between the windows.
12. Exit the bus using the rear door where possible to expedite the boarding of other passengers.
13. DO NOT CROSS in FRONT of the bus or BETWEEN buses after exiting the bus.
14. If you’re seated in the priority seating area and a person with a disability or a senior citizen gets on, offer them the designated seat – it’s the right thing to do.
15. Stand back from the bus when the wheelchair lift or ramp is being used.
16. Watch your step while boarding and exiting the bus - especially during inclement weather.

Transit Security

Centro encourages everyone to help keep our bus services safe by being aware of their surroundings and alert to activities, packages or situations that seem suspicious. If something out of the ordinary is observed, it should be reported immediately to the bus operator, uniformed security officer or law enforcement authorities.

The Transit Watch message is simple but effective: we all have a responsibility to look out for the safety and security of ourselves and our fellow citizens. If we make a commitment to get involved and watch out for each other, everyone will benefit!  Refer to the following tips:

Be informed and have a plan for action when riding public transportation:

• Familiarize yourself with bus stops
• Know the location of emergency exits on your bus
• Inform bus operator of any suspicious packages, substances or activities
• In an emergency situation remain calm and listen for bus announcements
• Do not prevent bus doors from closing
• Follow instructions given by CENTRO employees. Proceed in an orderly fashion.

Be on the alert for suspicious objects or substances. If you spot an unattended package or object, look for the following:

• Placement in an out-of-the-way location
• Individuals in the act of abandoning the object, package or substance and quickly leaving the area
• Objects with unusual items attached such as batteries, wires, tanks, bottles or bags
• An attached message or note
• A suspicious cloud, mist, gas, vapor, odor or seeping fluid
• Nearby individuals showing signs of illness or distress.

What to do:

DO NOT confront suspicious individuals or touch suspicious objects, packages or substances. Call 911 immediately or contact a Centro employee. Do not use a mobile phone until you are a safe distance away (approximately 300 feet). If possible, use a landline phone to report a suspicious object, package or substance.

Personal Preparedness tips:

• Create an advanced plan for maintaining contact with family members if separated as a result of an emergency
• Create an advanced plan for maintaining contact with close friends and colleagues during an extended emergency period
• Keep a record of all contact and emergency information and update it regularly as needed
• Select a location outside your home as a family meeting point should your home need to be evacuated
• Identify alternate routes and means of reaching your meeting point in the event your main route is impassible
• Keep a local map handy for reference
• Make sure your emergency information and contact numbers are with you at all times.

BE INFORMED. BE INVOLVED. BE ALERT. BE PREPARED.

Be Involved in a Lifesaving Partnership: Transit Employees and Passengers

As a resource, Centro employees provide a wealth of specialized knowledge and on-the-job experience. Likewise, our customers contribute to security by providing thousands of extra eyes and ears capable of identifying possible emergency situations.

When Centro employees and customers pool these resources, the result is a highly effective deterrent against a potential natural or man-made disaster. So, please make a commitment to becoming an alert, informed, prepared and involved member of this partnership.

Your efforts will go a long way toward maintaining the safety and security of our transit system.