The ambassadors, who wear bright green shirts, have had more than 500,000 interactions with riders since a pilot programme was launched in September 2022, according to the LA Times.

Metro's Public Safety Committee voted unanimously for the programme to become permanent but it will need to be confirmed by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors on Thursday (October 26).

Around 350 ambassadors have been part of the pilot scheme.

They have helped passengers with directions and in case of disruption on the network, and have also carried out more serious duties with 20 passengers given CPR.

Ambassadors also used naloxone to reverse 52 opioid overdoses and intervened during a suicide attempt.

They do not issue penalties but can report problems to the police.

It is hoped the ambassadors will help passengers feel safer with a survey last year revealing that the number of women using the network had declined.

The ambassadors are unarmed with a plan to increase safety on board by using lasso style weapons shelved.

"They're the human touch," Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who chairs Metro's Operations, Safety and Customer Experience Committee, said, according to the LA Times.

"They are also the ambassadors of our culture, of how we want to be perceived as a transit agency and how we want people to experience riding public transit. 

"I am glad that the statistics are bearing the fruit that we anticipated and hoped for."

Sixty-three per cent of people have said that the ambassadors make them feel safer on public transport.

Metro has said that ridership has climbed by 10 per cent over the last year, and is approaching pre-pandemic levels.