Title
Bus and Dial-a-Ride Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan - Request for Approval
Description
This report requests City Council approval of the Public Transit Department’s federally required Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan for the operation of the city’s fixed route bus and paratransit (Dial-a-Ride) operations.
Report
Summary
On July 19, 2019, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) published the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) Final Rule, requiring public transportation systems that receive federal grant funds to develop safety plans that include Safety Management Systems (SMS) and to set safety performance measure targets by Dec. 31, 2020, which the City of Phoenix accomplished. Since that time, the FTA informed transit industry partners nationwide about Bipartisan Infrastructure Law changes to the PTASP requirements and the associated compliance deadlines for implementing the new provisions. This report provides revisions to the Department’s PTASP in order to comply with the new requirements.
The purpose of the FTA’s Final Rule is to ensure operational safety within public transit systems nationwide. SMS elements include:
- Safety Management Policy - A documented commitment to safety defining the system’s objectives and its employees’ responsibilities to safety;
- Safety Risk Management - An established process for identifying, analyzing, documenting, and mitigating safety risks and hazards;
- Safety Promotion - Establishes a process for safety training and communications; and
- Safety Assurance - Includes safety performance monitoring and measurement, management of change, and continuous improvement.
Safety Performance Measures outlined by the National PTASP include specific definitions for "reportable events" as they pertain to having occurred within the transit environment or are otherwise related to transit service, vehicles, or facilities. Those "reportable events" are as follows:
Fatalities
- Total number of reportable fatalities; and
- Rate per total vehicle revenue miles by mode.
Injuries
- Total number of reportable injuries; and
- Rate per total vehicle revenue miles by mode.
Safety Events
- Total number of reportable events; and
- Rate per total vehicle revenue miles by mode.
System Reliability
- Mean distance between major mechanical failures by mode.
Additional Information
On Feb. 17, 2022, the FTA informed transit industry partners nationwide about Bipartisan Infrastructure Law changes to the PTASP requirements and the associated compliance deadlines for implementing the new provisions, which include the following:
- Establish a safety committee, comprised of an equal number of front-line employees and representatives within the Public Transit Department and its contracted service providers, to annually evaluate and approve the department’s safety plan. A component of the region's plans allows each of the City’s contractors to form and maintain their own safety committees to meet the new federal guidance;
- Establish a risk reduction program and targets to improve safety by reducing the number and rates of accidents, injuries, and assaults on transit workers; and
- Outline strategies consistent with guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or a state health authority, to minimize the exposure of the public, personnel, and property to infectious diseases and unsafe conditions.
The City’s draft PTASP (Attachment A) was developed through a collaborative process between staff from PTD and the T2050 project management consultant (PMC) team. The summary plan of the City’s operations contractors are appendices of the plan and were developed in collaboration with the City's bus and Dial-a-Ride providers (Transdev, First Transit, and MV Transportation and their respective employees). The safety plan follows previous and new federally mandated processes and procedures, including SMS principles and methods.
The City of Phoenix worked with its three service providers and their employees to operate and maintain the City’s bus and Dial-a-Ride services to ensure compliance with the new guidance. As a result, each contractor has also developed respective safety plans unique to their operations, facilities, and workforces. Under the new FTA rule, the Public Transit Department is responsible for overseeing the safety of its bus and paratransit systems, including oversight of the three service providers under contract with the Department to provide those services.
The Maricopa Association of Governments coordinates and provides guidance to regional transit agencies, while the Arizona Department of Transportation provides assistance to other transit agencies across the state. The City’s regional partners, the Regional Public Transportation Authority, Valley Metro Rail, Scottsdale, Glendale and Peoria, also fall under the new FTA rule and have created safety plans specific to their transit operations.
The plans of the City and its contractors and subrecipients are reviewed annually. The FTA requires each to annually self-certify that they have PTASPs that meet the requirements of the applicable rule. The FTA also intends to use its triennial oversight review program to assess compliance with the requirements of the rule.
Per federal requirements, the PTASP must be approved by Phoenix's City Council by Dec. 31, 2022.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
On Nov. 2, 2022, the attached plan was approved by the Public Transit Department’s safety committee, which is federally required and is made up of 12 PTD employees that are a mixture of front-line workers, field staff, and supervisory and management positions.
This item was approved by the Transportation, Infrastructure and Planning Subcommittee on Nov. 16, 2022, by a vote of 4-0.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Public Transit Department.