CATA Selects ELERTS to Empower Passengers, Employees to Report Possible Human Trafficking

The Capital Area Transportation Authority has selected ELERTS as a partner in its effort to fight human trafficking. CATA will implement ELERTS’ software to let riders and employees quickly and easily report any safety or security concerns, including occurrences and signs of suspected human trafficking, allowing supervisors to track and follow up on reported issues.

In January 2020, CATA was awarded a $75,000 grant through the Federal Transit Administration’s Human Trafficking Awareness and Public Safety Initiative. Along with a human trafficking awareness campaign, CATA will enlist ELERTS to play a key role in the fulfillment of the grant. The software includes the See Say Now app along with Text-a-Tip and a web form as part of CATA’s communications platform.

“The safety of our customers and employees is at the forefront,” said CATA Chief Executive Officer Bradley T. Funkhouser. “Making this software available on our buses and facilities is a huge win in the fight against human trafficking.”

Over 30 North American transit agencies and major U.S. airports already use ELERTS’ system to let passengers and employees report safety and security concerns, and hundreds of reports of suspected human trafficking have already been submitted using ELERTS – the only crowd-sourced mobile-reporting solution cited in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s report “Combatting Human Trafficking in the Transportation Sector.”

ELERTS is a Massachusetts-based software company that provides a mobile-reporting platform for airports, mass transit, cities and other organizations. The company was founded in 2010 on the belief that while “See Something, Say Something” is easy to understand, it is not so easy to report a concern. ELERTS delivers a communication platform that lets Operations Centers receive and respond to incident reports in a timely and efficient manner. By deploying mobile technology that enables crowd-sourced incident reporting, ELERTS is putting safety and security in the hands of smartphone users everywhere.

About CATA: Formed in 1972, the Capital Area Transportation Authority was twice voted the No. 1 transit system in America. CATA’s mission is to meet the mobility needs of our region by providing innovative solutions in partnership with the communities we serve. Our services are provided in accordance with Title VI, without discrimination with respect to race, color, national origin or other prohibited basis. For all media inquiries, please contact above-named PIO.

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