The Greater Portland Council of Government’s newest bus ambassadors were trained in August to help people with limited English proficiency navigate public transportation. Contributed/Photo by Tom Bell at GPCOG.
When Azy Mwaluija first immigrated to Portland from the Democratic Republic of Congo six years ago, taking the bus with her three-month-old son to doctor and social services appointments seemed nearly impossible.
“It was so stressful. Sometimes I cried,” Mwaluija said as she recalled the experience. “I can’t explain it, it was so hard.”
Mwaluija spoke limited English at the time and had difficulty understanding the public transportation system in the Portland area. She said she eventually figured out how to use the map on her phone to follow the bus, step by step. Still, it was difficult to use the bus to go anywhere.
“When you go to the doctor’s appointment, when you finish your appointment (and make) the next appointment … I would start to stress,” she said.
Today, Mwaluija shows other immigrants with language barriers how to drive buses through the Greater Portland Council of Government as a bus ambassador.
Since 2021, the Bus Ambassador Program has been helping immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers with limited English proficiency use the Greater Portland Metro, South Portland Bus Service or Biddeford Saco Old Orchard Beach Transit. When someone submits a request for assistance, the municipality matches them with a bus ambassador fluent in their native language, who meets them at a bus stop and shows them how to pay for the bus, how to map the route and how to have to stop the bus. .
Guy Mpoyi championed the Bus Ambassador Program after he struggled to take the bus after immigrating to the United States. Contributed/Photo by Tom Bell for GPCOG
The idea for the program came from Guy Mpoyi, who immigrated to the U.S. from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2013 and struggled for years with navigating public transportation. When he moved to the Portland area, he wanted to change this experience for new Mainers who wanted to go to doctor’s appointments, English language classes and the grocery store.
“We get a lot of immigrants moving to live in Maine, and then we find that those people are struggling and having difficulty with public transportation. Then the idea arose: ‘How can I help? And how can I make that accessible to all immigrants?’” Mpoyi said.
In 2019, he became a Community Transportation Leader for a Council of Governments program that teaches Portland area residents – especially people with disabilities, immigrants and low incomes – about transportation planning and decision-making in Greater Portland and how to influence the process. Community transportation leaders are advocating for projects such as adding accessible curbs, cultural sensitivity training for bus drivers and adjusting bus routes to better serve more riders.
“The goal is just to hear from those people, community members, so they can help improve the system. This way we continuously improve the system so that it works for the most vulnerable users,” said Marcel Ntagora, GPCOG Community Engagement Coordinator.
While living in Seattle, Mpoyi had heard of a multilingual bus ambassador program operating in surrounding Washington County. Through the Community Transportation Leaders, he advocated for a similar program in Portland.
“I had that idea. But how can I make that happen? But when I joined the (Community Transportation Leaders) program, I said, ‘Oh, this is the place where I can raise my voice,’” Mpoyi said.
In 2021, the municipality started recruiting multilingual volunteers to be trained as bus ambassadors. Many volunteers are immigrants and refugees, and all speak fluent English and French, Spanish, Portuguese, Somali or Arabic. Bus ambassadors receive a small allowance and money for a bus pass from the municipality, as well as a white vest to wear while assisting passengers.
A few times a year, South Portland Bus Service hosts Bus Ambassador training at its facility, and Greater Portland Metro explains the technical aspects of running their bus system smoothly and safely. Facilitators Ntagora and Maggie Johnson train bus ambassadors in behavior, including cultural sensitivity and how to coordinate with passengers seeking assistance.
Denise Beck, marketing manager at Greater Portland Metro, helped train the Bus Ambassadors.
“We want people to understand how to ride the bus, right? Any program that helps people do that is a good thing,” Beck said. “For people who may not understand some of the materials, there are translations involved.”
Johnson said once the Bus Ambassador program began, feedback from Portland’s immigrant community was positive. In response to the large number of requests for assistance, the Bus Ambassadors began visiting community organizations in Cumberland serving immigrants and refugees, distributing information about Portland’s public transportation system in multiple languages.
Denise Beck (center) of Greater Portland Metro explains best bus practices to new bus ambassadors during a training in August. Contributed/Photo by Tom Bell for GPCOG
“Being in a new place and being able to go to the grocery store or to school, these things are an essential part of building a life and having a safe and healthy life,” Johnson said. “I think it gives people so much strength, and it makes it possible to feel at home somewhere and start building.”
The program currently has nine Bus Ambassadors, a number that has fluctuated over time. Volunteers usually leave the program after receiving a work permit and securing full-time employment elsewhere, Ntagora said. The municipality is training more bus ambassadors where necessary and is currently specifically recruiting more volunteers who speak fluent Somali and Arabic.
Mpoyi is proud that his vision has come to life, and he wants to see the program grow. During his job as a night supervisor at 166 Riverside Shelter, Mpoyi tells clients about this multilingual service during intake.
“My goal is to make sure every immigrant knows about the Bus Ambassador Program on day one,” he said. “This is one of the things I want to see in Portland, here in Maine.”
Mpoyi said reciprocity drives him and others who volunteer for the Bus Ambassador programme.
“We live in this beautiful country, the country we fell in love with, and we have something to give back. We receive everything from the United States, but we have to give what we have. And one of the things we can do is just help others,” Mpoyi said.
Mwaluija integrates her role as a bus ambassador with her work with asylum seekers in the city of Portland. Whenever she meets with clients, she asks if they need help navigating their upcoming appointments.
“Okay, let me put on another hat and help you as a Bus Ambassador,” she tells them.
Mwaluija said six years ago that she is happy to help people who are a lot like her.
“To be a Bus Ambassador makes me proud of myself,” she said. “For something I struggled with, I can now help people. It makes me happy when I see people happy, and not (as) stressed as I am.”
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