NTSB Abstract SIR-98/03

Special Investigation Report
Transit Bus Safety Oversight

NTSB Number SIR-98/03 NTIS Number PB98-917006 PDF Document (142K)

Abstract: After the National Transportation Safety Board conducted several accident investigations involving transit buses (Normandy, Missouri; Cosmopolis, Washington; New York, New York; and Nashville, Tennessee) and held a public hearing on transit bus safety in March 1998, it found that substantial safety deficiencies and little Federal or State government safety oversight existed within the transit bus industry. During the public hearing, participants discussed transit agency self-regulation, the extent of Federal and State safety oversight, accident data, pupil transportation, and driver selection and qualification.

The findings from the public hearing and from the accident investigations formed the basis for this special investigation report, which addresses the following safety issues:

Federal and State safety oversight of transit bus operations,
adequacy of transit bus accident data to identify potential safety issues, and
safety program guidelines for transit operators.

As a result of its investigation, the Safety Board issued safety recommendations to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the American Public Transit Association (APTA), the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).