Federal agency proposes a directive on protecting transit workers from assault

Washington — To address a sharp increase in assaults against public transit workers, the Federal Transit Administration has published a proposed directive tasking public transit agencies with monitoring safety risks more closely.

FTA wants feedback from transit industry stakeholders on the directive. The proposed directive would mandate that urban transit agencies subject to its Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans “conduct a safety risk assessment; identify safety risk mitigations or strategies; and provide information to FTA on how it is assessing, mitigating and monitoring the safety risk associated with assaults on transit workers.”

Citing data from the National Transit Database, FTA notes that assaults climbed 121% from 2008 to 2021, when NTD observed an annual average of 241 assaults on transit workers. Bus workers accounted for 81% of the more than 2,200 transit-worker assaults NTD recorded between 2008 and 2019.

“Everyone deserves a safe workplace, including and especially the frontline transit workers who keep our nation moving,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a press release. “Assaults on transit workers are unacceptable, and I look forward to working with leaders across the transit industry on ways to further enhance the safety of these essential workers.”

Comments are due Feb. 20.