TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
THRU: Kelly Strickland, Assistant City Manager
FROM: Tyffany L. Neal, MPA, Transit Director
DATE: January 26, 2026
RE:Title
Approve FAST’s 2026 Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) UpdateTitle
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COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
Council District(s)
All
b
Relationship To Strategic Plan:
Goal IV: Desirable Place to Live, Work and Recreate
Executive Summary:
Council is asked to approve FAST’s 2026 Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) update.
In July 2018, FTA published the PTASP Final Rule which is intended to improve public transportation safety by guiding transit agencies to more effectively and proactively manage safety risks in their systems. As a recipient of FTA’s Section 5307 Grant Program, FAST was required to develop a safety plan that included the processes and procedures to implement Safety Management Systems (SMS).
In April 2024, FTA published the first major update to the PTASP regulation. These updates are a part of a continuing effort to improve transit safety performance on federally supported transit systems, and PTASP is the first rule finalized by FTA to make transit safer for both transit workers and passengers.
The attached PTASP has been updated to ensure compliance with the final rule. This annual update includes FAST’s 2025 safety event totals, improved safety performance monitoring and assessments (i.e. Operator assaults, etc.), and the strategies to reduce safety risks.
Transit is requesting approval of the plan and authorization by City Council.
Background:
On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which authorizes $108 billion over the next five (5) years for public transportation. This law will support federal public transportation programs in funding, as well as enhance State Safety Oversight (SSO) programs by protecting transit workers and riders from injuries thus ensuring safe access to transit. Additional SSO updates will improve safety training, work to reduce assaults on vehicle operators, encourage development of transit agency safety plans and institute measures to reduce vehicular and pedestrian accidents involving transit buses.
On September 25, 2024, FTA issued a general directive that requires transit agencies subject to FTA's PTASP regulation to conduct a safety risk assessment, identify safety risk mitigations or strategies and provide information to FTA on how they are assessing, mitigating and monitoring the safety risk associated with assaults on transit workers.
The data and measures contained within FAST’s 2026 PTASP is based of calendar year 2025’s reportable safety data and reports to FTA’s National Transit Database (NTD). This update allows FAST to improve its performance targets and expectations. In comparison to the safety data reported in FAST’s 2022 PTASP, FAST has made several improvements in overall totals and percentages of reportable injuries, safety events and overall system reliability.
Issues/Analysis:
FAST currently has an established Safety Committee comprised of frontline employees. FAST is required to certify compliance of the updated PTASP to remain eligible for receipt of federal transit funds. Failure to comply with a requirement of the rule subjects FAST to a range of FTA enforcement options (depending upon the circumstances) including the ineligibility of receipt of FTA grant funding.
Budget Impact:
There is no budget impact as a result of this update.
Options:
1) Approve FAST’s 2026 PTASP update.
2) Do not approve FAST’s 2026 PTASP update and provide further guidance to staff.
Recommended Action::Recommended Action
Staff recommends that Council move to approve FAST’s 2026 Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) as presented.
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Attachments:
Proposed 2026 Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) Update