That's true, I think, but it is also incumbent on the operator of the service (in this case Calgary Transit) to establish a standard on its own that people can follow. It needs to be very obvious what you do when you see something on the transit system that requires the attention of transit staff or police - i.e., very obvious ads on all trains saying "if you see something, text us at NUMBER, we will respond immediately, also contact us here and here to tell us what's going on". Then take every issue seriously, whether it's people being loud and disruptive for no reason, people doing drugs, drinking, or acting publicly intoxicated, or people being aggressive / safety concerns. They can then triage those issues.
Passengers definitely play a role but you have to give them VERY easy tools to use in order to get them to actually do it. Even direct incentivies, e.g. "free bus pass for a month" rewards for tips that improve the system, are worth considering.
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