Transit Agencies Meet FTA’s Safety Plan Deadline
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive EditorAll agencies that receive Urbanized Area Formula Grants from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) have certified that their safety plans were in place by June 20, 2021, the deadline for FTA’s 2018 rule.
The Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) Final Rule (download below) requires these 700-plus agencies “to set safety performance targets in a safety plan that is reviewed and certified every year,” FTA reported. Any agency that failed to file a compliant safety plan by the deadline would have been ineligible for further FTA grants. The PTASP rule became effective on July 19, 2019, and FTA in December 2020 extended the safety plan deadline to June 20, 2020, due to the pandemic. (The rule does not apply to agencies that are subject to the safety jurisdiction of another federal agency, including rail operators regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration and passenger ferry operators regulated by the U.S. Coast Guard, according to FTA).
The plans must include Safety Management System principles and practices, which “allow management and labor to come together, addressing risk, analyzing data and providing a safer ride for passengers, while protecting workers and operators,” FTA said, noting that each plan is different since each transit system is different.
FTA provided transit agencies and states with technical assistance and resources, including webinars, workshops and voluntary reviews of draft agency safety plans.
“Safety is our top priority, and we are pleased that transit agencies have met this important requirement to develop and implement safety plans to help ensure that public transportation systems are safe nationwide,” FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez said.
