National Public Transportation Safety Plan

What’s New: Proposed Changes

On May 31, 2023, FTA published a Federal Register Notice regarding proposed updates to FTA’s National Public Transportation Safety Plan (NSP). The NSP serves as FTA’s primary guidance document to improve transit safety performance. The public comment period closed on July 31, 2023.

Proposed Changes to FTA's National Public Transportation Safety Plan

FTA is publishing proposed revisions to the NSP to address new requirements in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, enacted as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, to continue to mature FTA’s national safety program, and to further advance transit safety.

Safety Performance Measures: The proposed NSP identifies seven new safety performance measures for all transit providers subject to the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) regulation. These changes would double the number of required safety performance targets that PTASP-applicable transit agencies must set for their modes of public transportation. These changes are responsive to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and an increased focus on bus collisions and transit worker safety.
Safety Risk Reduction Programs: As directed by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the proposed NSP includes performance measures for a safety risk reduction program. The proposed NSP identifies eight measures required for safety risk reduction programs. As required by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, transit agencies receiving urban formula (Section 5307) funds and serving an urbanized area with a population of 200,000 or more must set targets for these measures based on a three-year rolling average of data the agency has reported to the National Transit Database.
Voluntary Minimum Safety Standards and Recommended Practices: The proposed NSP includes an updated listing of voluntary minimum safety performance standards for public transportation vehicles used in revenue operations and voluntary minimum safety standards to ensure the safe operation of public transportation systems. It also includes recommended practices that may support the transit industry in assessing and mitigating safety risk and improving safety performance. The NSP organizes standards and recommended practices into 11 categories.