The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recently announced a final rule that updates the agency’s Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans (PTASP) regulation.
Under the updated PTASP regulation, the FTA will increase frontline transit worker involvement in safety decision-making. The update includes specific requirements for safety committee membership, procedures, and responsibilities.
Safety committees can recommend improvement strategies based on a transit agency’s safety risk reduction programs. Approved recommendations will become part of the larger agency safety plan, and transit agencies are required to implement safety risk mitigations.
The updated regulations also require the industry to use data to identify and manage safety risk, and requires agencies to set safety performance targets.
The changes apply to more than 700 transit agencies nationwide. The FRA requires the agencies to incorporate de-escalation training for frontline transit workers. They also must minimize employee exposure to infectious diseases.
The FRA also announced a revised National Public Transportation Safety Plan.
The updated safety plan includes resources for transit agencies to improve their safety performance related to major events, collisions, and injuries. The resources include best practices, tools, technical assistance, and voluntary standards.
It also includes Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provisions for risk-based approaches aimed at reducing injuries and fatalities on transit systems.