Transit Bus Safety Oversight Program Federal Transit Administration

CTAA EXPO 2014

St. Paul, MN

Presenter: Ream Lazaro

Bus Safety Oversight Program Overview

Slide 2

Bus Program Background

• Voluntary oversight program

• Developed in collaboration with industry partners

• Objective – improve safety for passengers, employees, and all that share roadways with transit buses

• Initial focus on small urban and rural bus transit systems

• Now includes large urban bus transit systems and bus rapid transit (BRT)

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Bus Program Origins

• NTSB recommendations

- NTSB investigations determined there were substantial safety deficiencies and insufficient oversight in bus transit industry

- Issued recommendations in 1998 to encourage creation of safety standards and practices

- FTA responded with “Model Program”

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Bus Program Partners

• MOU signed by Bus Program Partners in 2003

- Federal Transit Administration (FTA)

- American Assoc. of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

- American Public Transportation Assoc. (APTA)

- Community Transportation Assoc. of America (CTAA)

• MOU defined core and enhanced elements of “model program”

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Major Bus Program Elements

• Resource website

• Voluntary onsite reviews

• Orientation seminars

• Ongoing outreach

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Voluntary Onsite

Reviews

State DOT Orientation

Seminars

Bus Safety Program Website

Industry Coordination

and Outreach

Resource Website

• Library of 1300 resources

• 1,600 registered users

• 520,000 downloads of resources

• Self-assessment tool – Helps transit agencies identify safety gaps

• Case studies – Support emergency planning and decision-

making

• Safety news and events

• Registering gets you more

• Currently in redesign – E-learning modules

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http://bussafety.fta.dot.gov/

Voluntary Onsite Reviews

• Scheduled by requests from transit agencies, state DOTs, FTA regions

• Onsite for 1 – 3 days

• Voluntary in nature and designed to provide safety guidance

• Post site visit report and technical assistance safety materials

• Reviews done to date – 53

• NTD data indicates significant reduction in accidents at a transit in year after a review

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Orientation Seminars

• Co-sponsored by state DOTs / state transit associations

• Publicizes Bus Program / encourages attendees to use Program resources

• Provides safety training, guidance, technical assistance

• Demonstrates Bus Program website

• Allows dialogue on transit safety needs

• 41 seminars held to date in 40 states

• Average post-seminar evaluation 4.7 out of 5.0

Slide 9

Program Outreach

• Initiatives include: - Presentations

o CTAA EXPOs

o FTA regional conferences

o National Rural Conferences

o MTAP/SCOPT annual meetings

o Tribal transit conferences

o State transit association conferences

- Blast emails

- Panels at conferences

- Outreach to transit associations

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Beneficiaries of FTA Bus Safety Program Individual transit agencies

• Program provides mechanism to:

– evaluate current safety activities

– Identify strengths / needs

– assist in SMS implementation

Transit employees • Resources to enhance individual technical skill sets and safety

professionalism

Transit passengers • Assists in decreasing operational safety risks to passengers

Communities transit serves • Emphasizes importance of transportation readiness to respond to

community emergencies; provides tools for carrying out response

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Beneficiaries of FTA Bus Safety Program

FTA and US Dept. of Transportation • Meets NTSB recommendations

• Encourages achieving safety excellence within SMS guidelines

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other Federal agencies

• Mechanism for FTA to partner with other federal agencies

State DOTs • Provides guidance/support on SMS implementation

Transit associations • Template for designing safety conference / workshop presentations

and technical assistance activities

Slide 12

MAP-21 and SMS

Slide 13

MAP-21

• Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act signed into law July 2012

• Includes Section 5329 – Public Transportation Safety Program

• Creates a national safety program

₋ National Safety Plan

₋ Transit Agency Safety Plan

₋ Safety Certification Training Program

₋ State Safety Oversight (SSO) Program (rail)

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The National Safety Program

National Safety Plan

49 U.S.C. 5329(b)

• Establishes SMS as foundation for FTA’s safety regulatory framework

• Includes the definition of State of Good Repair and safety performance criteria

Transit Agency Safety Plan

49 U.S.C 5329(d)

• Introduces SMS into practice

• Provides agencies with authority to set performance targets for safety and SGR based on requirements set out in the National Safety Plan

Safety Certification Training Program

49 U.S.C. 5329(c)

• Introduces SMS concepts

• Improves technical competencies of safety oversight professionals

The National Safety Program includes four distinct components, three of which are:

Slide 15

National Safety Plan

• At a minimum, the National Safety Plan will include:

– Safety performance criteria

– Definition of State of Good Repair

– A public transportation safety certification program

– Minimum vehicle standards

• Data analysis will be used to identify national trends that suggest:

– gaps in safety performance

– common hazards

– leading practices for risk control

Slide 16

Safety Performance Criteria

• FTA will set safety performance criteria for all modes

• Criteria will support analysis and risk evaluation

• As a result, transit agencies will become more proactive in safety risk management

Slide 17

Minimum Vehicle Safety Standards

• FTA’s priority is to issue a proposed rule to establish a bus testing pass/fail standard

– Rule will determine usage of FTA funds for bus purchase

• Performance standards define an end result, but allow flexibility on how that result is achieved

– Congress did not intend FTA to replicate a regulatory model, with highly prescriptive regulations

– FTA will consider leading industry practices and National Transit

– Safety Board (NTSB) recommendations

Slide 18

Transit Agency Safety Plan

• The Transit Agency Safety Plan will demonstrate:

– Compliance with the National Safety Plan

– Implementation of SMS; scalable and flexible

• Agencies must establish and certify this

comprehensive plan within a year of the final rule

• States may draft and certify Agency Safety Plans for

rural areas and for small public transportation

providers in urban areas

Slide 19

Safety Certification Training Program

• The Safety Certification Training Program focuses on:

– Competencies and training outcomes

– Certification training for those responsible for the safety oversight of rail transit, as an initial effort

• Interim Provisions will soon be published in Federal Register

Slide 20

Safety Management Systems (SMS)

• Published policy to adopt SMS in May 2013

– Essential building blocks of a successful SMS already exist

– Each transit agency to develop processes to implement SMS • Safety Management System is:

– Scalable and flexible to support transit systems of all sizes – Proactive method for managing system safety

– A way to ensure data-driven safety decision making

– Focused on the overall safety performance, not compliance

with regulation and requirements

Slide 21

SMS Framework

1. Safety Management Policy

2. Safety Risk Management

3. Safety Assurance

4. Safety Promotion

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Safety Management Policy

• Accountable Executive

• Roles and responsibilities

• Management commitment

• Integration with existing programs

• Documentation

Slide 23

Safety Risk Management

• Hazard identification and analysis

• Risk assessment and mitigation

Slide 24

Safety Assurance

• Safety performance monitoring

• Management of change

• Continuous SMS improvement

Slide 25

Safety Promotion

• Competencies and training

• Safety communication

Slide 26

SMS Summary

• SMS is scalable and flexible and recognizes that one

size does not fit all

• All transit agencies, regardless of mode, size or

operating characteristics will be required to

develop Transit Agency Safety Plans

• States may help develop and certify Transit Agency

Safety Plans for Small Providers

• FTA is developing bus testing pass/fail standards

Slide 27

4 questions that SMS will facilitate answering

• What is most likely to be the cause of your next accident or serious incident?

• How do you know that?

• What are you doing about it?

• Is it working?

Slide 28

The Bus Program and MAP-21

• Bus Program enters into transition period

• Moving from totally voluntary guidance and technical assistance program to include safety oversight

• Provide information on and guide transit industry through SMS implementation process

• Continue orientation seminars / presentations

• Continue onsite safety reviews

• Redesigned website

Slide 29

Remember to register on website if you haven’t already

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http://bussafety.fta.dot.gov/

THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK

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