FTA Directive Addresses Violence Against Transit Workers

A General Directive issued by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requires transit agencies to address violence against transit workers. “The General Directive is necessary because from 2013 to 2021, the National Transit Database (NTD) documented a 120 percent increase in the number of assaults against transit workers,” according to a FTA press release.

As U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg noted, “Over the past decade, we’ve seen a tragic and unacceptable rise in verbal and physical assaults on the men and women who are critical in providing a transportation lifeline for millions of people.”

Over 700 agencies subject to FTA’s Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans (PTASP) regulation must complete a series of actions including conducting a risk assessment, identifying strategies to mitigate risk, and reporting to the FTA. “Every transit agency serving a large, urbanized area (with a population of more than 200,000 people) must comply with PTASP requirements to involve the joint labor-management Safety Committee when identifying safety risk mitigations and strategies.”