On July 19, 2018, Federal Transit Administration published the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) Final Rule, which requires operators of public transit systems that receive federal funds under FTA’s Urbanized Area Formula Grants to develop safety plans that include the processes and procedures to implement Safety Management Systems (SMS). However, the FTA is deferring applicability of this requirement for operators that only receive funds through FTA’s Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Formula Program and/or Rural Area Formula Program.
The PTASP final rule intends to improve public transportation safety by guiding transit agencies to more effectively and proactively manage safety risks in their systems. SMS is a comprehensive, collaborative approach to managing safety. It brings management and labor together to control risk better, detect and correct safety problems early, share and analyze safety data more effectively, and measure safety performance more precisely.
Since no two public transportation systems are alike, the rule sets scalable and flexible minimum standards for safety plans, including requirements for the identification, assessment, and mitigation of risks and strategies to minimize exposure to hazards, a safety training program, safety performance targets, and a process and timeline for conducting an annual review and update of the safety plan.
The PTASP rule goes into effect on July 19, 2019. The plan must include safety performance targets. Additional guidance on planning and target settings can be found on FTA’s Performance-Based Planning pages. Transit operators also must certify they have a safety plan in place meeting the requirements of the rule by July 20, 2020. The plan required to be updated and certified by the transit agency every year.
Check out this video for more information or visit: https://www.transit.dot.gov/PTASP