Transit Safety & Oversight (TSO)
Overview
FTA administers a national transit safety program and compliance oversight process to advance safe, reliable, and equitable 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
Annual FTA Drug and Alcohol Program National Conference
Registration is open for FTA's annual Drug and Alcohol Program National Conference, March 18-20, 2025, in Kansas City, Missouri. The annual workshop provides sessions to foster a better understanding of federal programs, including the Prevention of Alcohol Misuse and Prohibited Drug Use in Transit Operations and USDOT Procedures for Transportation Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing. Learn more.
2025 FTA Joint SSO and RTA Workshop
Registration is open for the 2025 Joint State Safety Oversight (SSO) and Rail Transit Agency (RTA) Workshop in Arlington, Virginia, May 6-8, 2025.
- Tuesday, May 6: In-person for FTA and State Safety Oversight Agencies (SSOAs) only; no sessions for RTAs.
- Wednesday, May 7: In-person for both SSOAs and RTAs.
- Thursday, May 8: In-person for both SSOAs and RTAs.
Please register for the workshop to receive hotel (Hyatt Regency) and more information.
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.