Each year, tens of millions of people are trafficked globally. They are tricked or coerced into working against their will—a crime that is nothing short of modern slavery. According to the DEA, “In the United States, some of the most vulnerable populations include American Indian/Alaska Native communities, individuals with disabilities, undocumented immigrants, runaway and homeless youth, and low-income individuals.”

For the last 15 years, January has marked National Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the United States, to raise awareness and educate the public on how to recognize, prevent, and respond to human trafficking. Transit bus and motor coach Operators are uniquely positioned to help bring these crimes to light and assist law enforcement and aid agencies in helping victims of trafficking.

 

The Connection Between Mass Transit Usage and Human Trafficking

The groups most likely to become victims of human trafficking in the US are often those most dependent on public transit services. Additionally, networks of traffickers often rely on intercity bus services to transport their victims between cities and states. As such, there is an opportunity for transit Operators and other Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Operators, like truckers, to contribute to eradicating this crime.

Earlier this year, local, state, and industry organizations—like Truckers Against Trafficking—teamed up with law enforcement and federal officials to educate more CMV Operators on how to recognize the signs of trafficking and respond.

“Human trafficking is a detestable crime, and there is no room for it on our roadways,” said Col. James F. Grady II, director of the Michigan State Police, commenting on MSP’s efforts to raise awareness and educate CMV Operators and transit workers on this issue. “Transportation workers and all who use our public thoroughfares can play a key role in interrupting human trafficking when they learn to recognize the signs and are prepared to report it.”

FAAC supports efforts to stem this atrocity. In recent months, we’ve partnered with a major California-based transit agency and experts in human trafficking to add new anti-trafficking scenarios to Transit Response, our interactive, immersive, customer-interaction training solution.

While most transit training simulators focus solely on driving and the situational awareness skills specific to safe driving, FAAC’s flagship MB-2000 simulator is designed to offer fully integrated immersive simulation training. Transit Response can incorporate human interaction and soft skills—including recognizing the often-subtle signs of human trafficking—into any driving scenario.

 

Simulators Serve Multiple Functions: Teaching Safe Driving and Passenger Interaction Skills

The MB-2000 with Transit Response combines two simulators in one. Like every FAAC transit simulator, the MB-2000 arrives with a complete library of road-validated simulated driving scenarios. These scenarios cover all of the most common skills Transit Operators need (completing turns, mirror usage, lane positioning, servicing bus stops, etc.) and are each fully customizable. When the Operator gets behind the wheel of the simulator, they will experience a realistic driving scenario of the trainer’s choosing.

Meanwhile, in systems with Transit Response, as Operators drive this computerized scenario, they can glance up at the passenger mirror and see interactive live-action video of live actors boarding, leaving, and responding to situations inside the bus. At their discretion, trainers can introduce complications into these human interactions—something as potentially simple as a fare issue, or as serious as a medical emergency or violent rider. The Operator must then interact with these individuals, taking appropriate action and resolving the situation, all while safely operating the bus.

As FAAC’s Transportation Business Manager, Jason Francisco explains, “We’re finding that this combination, combining the computer-generated driving scenario and live-action HD video of passenger interactions, is a uniquely powerful training experience. It creates this opportunity to help Operators develop the executive function they need to balance focusing on the road while staying situationally aware of what’s happening behind them. For example, what should the Operator be looking for: power imbalance or controlling behavior between passengers, someone expressing fear and intimidation through facial expression or body language. Some of these signs can often be very subtle, but they can also be potentially dire human trafficking situations.

 

Working Together to Expand What Training Can Include

For more than 50 years, FAAC has provided simulation-based turnkey training solutions for transit agencies, public safety, the military, and private industry. In 1999, FAAC created the world’s first immersive bus transit training simulator and has continued to lead the way in partnering with transit agencies to develop and deploy innovative simulation solutions.

Do you have questions? Do you want to discuss ways to get more out of your training program so your Operators can perform more confidently? Our team of experts looks forward to speaking with you.