Transit Safety & Oversight (TSO)
Overview
FTA administers a national transit safety program and compliance oversight process to advance safe and reliable transit service throughout the United States. The Office of Transit Safety and Oversight helps to increase transit safety through:
- Policy development
- Hazard investigation
- Data collection
- Risk analysis
- Oversight programs
- Information sharing
What's New
PTSCTP Semi-Annual Reporting
The next semi-annual reporting cycle for the Public Transportation Safety Certification Training Program (PTSCTP) is open, starting July 1 and closing on July 31, 2025. The PTSCTP regulation requires Points of Contact (POCs) identified by State Safety Oversight Agencies and rail transit agencies to report the following to FTA, semi-annually: (1) The current list of designated participants for PTSCTP at the agency; and (2) The course(s) the agency has identified as required recertification training for PTSCTP designated participants. POCs are encouraged to use the PTSCTP Semi-Annual Reporting Form to submit the required information to FTA.
Mental Health Awareness Month
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and FTA has compiled online resources on wellness, self- care, suicide prevention and more to support the transit industry in addressing and prioritizing mental health to help improve safety in our nation’s transit systems. To learn more:
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Check out new resources added to FTA’s Mental Health Resources for Transit Agencies website.
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Review Safety Advisory 22-4: Suicide Prevention Signage on Public Transit with recommended best practices for reducing suicide attempts through signage and messaging campaigns.
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Watch FTA’s webinar on Suicide and Mental Health Crisis Intervention on Transit featuring transit agency and public health guest speakers.
2025 FTA Joint SSO and RTA Workshop
The 2025 Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Joint State Safety Oversight (SSO) and Rail Transit Agency (RTA) Workshop was held at the Hyatt Regency, in Arlington, Virginia, from Tuesday, May 6 through Thursday, May 8, 2025, for the following audiences SSOAs and RTAs.
View the workshop agenda and presentations here.
Responses to General Directive 24-1: Required Actions Regarding Assaults on Transit Workers
On January 16, 2025, FTA published Responses to General Directive 24-1: Required Actions Regarding Assaults on Transit Workers. FTA's initial analysis of agency responses shows more than two-thirds of transit agencies determined that safety risk mitigations are necessary to reduce the risk of assaults on transit workers, and these agencies are working to roll out a variety of mitigation measures.
Safety Advisory 24-2: Street Running Rail Vehicle Collisions
Safety Advisory 24-2 aims to reduce fatalities and injuries caused by street-running rail vehicle collisions. With this safety advisory, FTA is asking state safety oversight agencies (SSOA) to direct the rail transit agencies (RTA) in their jurisdictions to analyze the risk of street-running rail collisions in their systems. SSOAs are the state-level organizations responsible for direct safety oversight of RTAs.
Procurement 101 e-Learning Course
This e-learning course will help grant recipients ensure their procurements are compliant with federal, state, and local procurement rules and regulations. This training will also prepare recipients for FTA audits, particularly Triennials, State Management Reviews, and Procurement System Reviews (PSR).
During a review, procurement practices are evaluated to determine compliance with federal regulations, FTA policies, and other established guidance. Procurement is one of the 23 review areas with the highest rates of findings. The primary objective of this training is to increase recipients' understanding of the requirements of procurement.
Rail Transit Roadway Worker Protection Final Rule
On October 31, FTA published its first standards-based safety regulation. The Rail Transit Roadway Worker Protection regulation includes minimum standards to improve safety for transit workers who work on or around the tracks. FTA hosted a webinar on November 19 to provide more information about the RWP regulation.