The Greater Portland Council of Government’s newest bus ambassadors got trained in August to assist those with limited English proficiency in navigating public transportation. Contributed / Tom Bell for GPCOG

When Azy Mwaluija first immigrated to Portland from the Democratic Republic of Congo six years ago, riding the bus to take her 3-month-old son to doctors’ and social services appointments seemed nearly impossible.

“It was so stressful. Sometimes I was crying,” said Mwaluija as she recalled that experience. “I cannot explain, it was so hard.”

At the time, Mwaluija spoke limited English and struggled to understand the public transportation system of the Portland area. She said she eventually figured out how to use the map on her phone to track the bus, stop by stop. Still, having to use the bus to go anywhere was daunting.

“When you go to the doctor appointment, when you finish your appointment (and make) the next appointment … I would start to stress,” she said.

These days, Mwaluija shows other immigrants facing language barriers how to ride the bus as a bus ambassador through the Greater Portland Council of Governments.

Since 2021, the Bus Ambassador Program assists immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers with limited English proficiency in using the Greater Portland Metro, South Portland Bus Service or Biddeford Saco Old Orchard Beach Transit. When someone submits a request for assistance, the council 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, map their route and signal for the bus to make a stop.

Guy Mpoyi advocated for the Bus Ambassador Program after he struggled to take the bus following his immigration to the United States. Contributed / Tom Bell for GPCOG

The idea for the program arose from Guy Mpoyi, who immigrated from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the U.S. in 2013 and struggled with navigating public transportation for years. When he moved to the Portland area, he wanted to change this experience for new Mainers seeking to get to doctors’ appointments, English language classes and the grocery store.

“We get a lot of immigrants moving to live in Maine, and then finding those people struggling, (having a) hard time with public transportation. Then the idea came up: ‘How can I help? And how can I make that accessible for all immigrants?’” Mpoyi said.

In 2019, he became a Community Transportation Leader, for a Council of Governments program that teaches Portland-area residents – particularly those who are disabled, immigrants and low-income – about transportation planning and decision-making in greater Portland and how to influence this process. Community Transportation Leaders advocate for projects such 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 to improve the system. That’s how we constantly improve the system to make it work for the most vulnerable users,” GPCOG Community Engagement Coordinator Marcel Ntagora said.

While he lived in Seattle, Mpoyi had heard about a multilingual bus ambassador program that operated in the 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 I can raise my voice,’” Mpoyi said.

In 2021, the council began recruiting multilingual volunteers to be trained as bus ambassadors. Many volunteers are immigrants and refugees, and all are fluent in English as well as either French, Spanish, Portuguese, Somali or Arabic. Bus ambassadors receive a small stipend and bus pass funds from the council, as well as a white vest to wear while assisting riders.

A few times a year, South Portland Bus Service hosts bus ambassador training in its facility, and Greater Portland Metro explains the technical aspects of smoothly and safely riding their bus system. Facilitators Ntagora and Maggie Johnson train bus ambassadors on conduct including cultural sensitivity and how to coordinate with riders 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 kind of program that exists to help people to do that, that’s a good thing,” Beck said. “For people who may not understand some of the materials, there’s translations involved.”

Johnson said as soon as the Bus Ambassador Program began, the feedback from greater Portland’s immigrant community was positive. In response to the high number of requests for assistance, the bus ambassadors began visiting community organizations in Cumberland for immigrants and refugees, distributing information about Portland’s public transportation in multiple languages.

Denise Beck, center, of Greater Portland Metro explains bus best practices to new bus ambassadors at a training this August. Contributed /Tom Bell for GPCOG

“When you’re in a new place, and you’re able to get to the grocery store or to school, these things are very integral to building a life and having a safe and healthy life,” Johnson said. “I think it is just so empowering for folks, and it makes it possible to start feeling home somewhere and start building.”

The program currently has nine bus ambassadors, a number that fluctuates over time. Volunteers most often leave the program after they receive work permits and gain full-time employment elsewhere, Ntagora said. The council trains more bus ambassadors as needed and are currently recruiting specifically for more volunteers fluent in Somali and Arabic.

Mpoyi is proud of his vision come to life, and he wants the program to grow. At his job as an overnight supervisor at 166 Riverside Shelter, Mpoyi tells clients during intake about this multilingual service.

“My goal is to make sure every single immigrant on the first day knows about the Bus Ambassador Program,” 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 their time for the Bus Ambassador Program.

“We are living in this beautiful country, the country we fell in love (with), and then we have something to give back. We receive everything from United States, but we need 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 through the city of Portland. Whenever she meets with clients, she asks if they need assistance navigating to their future appointments.

“OK, let me wear another hat and help you as a bus ambassador,” she tells them.

Mwaluija said she is glad to help people who are much like herself six years ago.

“To be a bus ambassador makes me proud of myself,” she said. “For something I’ve struggled with, now I can help people with. It makes me feel happy to see people happy, not (as) stressed as me.”