Advertisement Sweeping changes ahead for Sacramento's Regional Transit system Regional Transit leadership reorganization launched to help move new changes forward Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Sacramento's Regional Transit system wants its trains to be clean, safe and run on-time."We want to put our customers first," said Henry Li, Regional Transit's new general manager and chief executive officer.Cleaning up the trains is the first step to putting customers first."They're nasty," said Sara Smith, a Regional Transit rider. "They need to be clean."A KCRA 3 investigation last November found filthy conditions on some Regional Transit trains and transit stations."It's trashy," said Antinisha Thomas, another Regional Transit customer. "You can tell that the upholstery hasn't been done probably since they've been running them."According to Regional Transit Monday, it has more than doubled its cleaning staff from 10 to 23 people.The transit agency said it is also improving security on the trains -- a top concern for many riders."I got jumped on over here on 9th Street Light Rail," Bobby Bush said."A gentleman (was) trying to beat up a woman,” Bush said. “All I did was told him, 'Man, that's not right. You shouldn't put your hand on a woman.' And then he started in on me."In the last three months, Regional Transit has added 25 additional security agents."These 25 agents will stay on the trains (at) all the times to help customers," Li told KCRA 3.He said he wanted the added agents to "create a sense of safety and security."The new Golden 1 Center -- now under construction in downtown Sacramento -- is also a big part of Regional Transit's plans. The agency is looking to partner with Uber and Lyft to transport Kings fans from their suburban homes to nearby transit stations at a discounted price so they can ride Light Rail downtown on game days.With the new arena opening in just three months, Regional Transit's challenge is to build new ridership -- and new confidence in the system -- before the fans head to downtown Sacramento starting in October.The standard fare on Regional Transit is $2.75 for a single ticket, but Li told KCRA 3 that many discounts are available.Regional Transit said it has eliminated 10 percent of its management and administrative positions to improve its bottom line.