FTA orders SEPTA to fix safety problems

The Federal Transit Administration yesterday ordered the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority to fix several safety shortcomings that federal regulators documented during a months-long inspection. 

In a report of its findings, the FTA required SEPTA to take 24 corrective actions related to worker safety, operations and issues that led to safety mishaps involving fixed-route bus and transit-rail services. The FTA conducted its investigation between August 2023 and January 2024.

“Over the past five years, SEPTA has experienced a deteriorating safety record, with significantly higher rates of fatalities, injuries and accidents compared to the transit industry average and its peers, particularly on fixed-route buses, trolleys, and heavy rail,” the FTA report states. “Key safety performance indicators have not improved substantially and, in some cases, have worsened, even after enhanced [Pennsylvania Department of Transportation] intervention directed by FTA in March 2023.”

FTA launched its investigation in August 2023 after a rash of Philadelphia bus and trolley crashes, including five major collisions during a single week in late July of last year that killed one person and injured at least 25, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

“The safety and security of customers and employees is SEPTA’s top priority. We take these findings seriously and embrace the opportunity to work with the FTA and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to make SEPTA better,” SEPTA Chair Kenneth Lawrence Jr. and CEO and General Manager Leslie Richards wrote in a joint letter posted on SEPTA’s website.