To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: ELIZABETH HAUSE, WATERFRONT AND COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR
TITLE
title
APPROVE THE 2026 PUBLIC TRANSIT AGENCY SAFETY PLAN FOR BEACH CITIES TRANSIT PER FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION GRANT REQUIREMENTS
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As a Municipal Transit Operator and recipient of Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds, Beach Cities Transit (BCT) must comply with the FTA's requirement to develop and maintain a Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP). The purpose of the PTASP is to improve public transportation safety by guiding transit agencies in managing safety risks more effectively and proactively through a comprehensive Safety Management System (SMS). Federal regulations require the PTASP to be reviewed annually, updated as necessary to reflect regulatory and operational changes, and approved by the agency's governing body. The City Council approved BCT's initial PTASP on December 1, 2019.
FTA requires the PTASP be approved by the governing body of the public transportation system no later than October 20, 2026. The BCT PTASP must also be signed and certified by the City Manager and Accountable Executive, in this case, the Waterfront and Community Services Director, following approval by the City Council.
BACKGROUND
The PTASP requires public transportation operators to develop and implement safety plans that establish processes and procedures supporting a Safety Management System (SMS), a comprehensive and collaborative framework for identifying hazards, assessing and mitigating safety risks, monitoring safety performance, and fostering continuous improvement throughout transit operations. As part of the PTASP requirements, transit agencies must establish safety performance targets based on measures that include fatalities, injuries, safety events, and system reliability. The PTASP must be reviewed annually and updated as necessary. Compliance is evaluated by the FTA through its triennial oversight review process.
The BCT PTASP is designed to promote accountability and strengthen the safety culture throughout BCT's transit operations by identifying an Accountable Executive who has ultimate responsibility for ensuring a safe environment for BCT employees and passengers and ensuring that adequate human and capital resources are available to implement and maintain the PTASP. The BCT PTASP Accountable Executive is the Waterfront and Community Services Director, the City Manager, or the City Manager's designee. The PTASP also defines the roles and responsibilities of key staff within BCT's transit operations contractor, Transportation Concepts, and the City's Transit Division for supporting the agency's safety management program. These responsibilities include identifying potential hazards, monitoring the effectiveness of safety risk mitigation activities, and providing periodic reports on safety performance, hazard identification, and corrective actions to promote continuous safety improvement.
The PTASP also establishes safety performance targets that are reviewed and updated annually. These targets are based on the safety performance measures established under the National Public Transportation Safety Plan and include goals for reportable fatalities, injuries, safety events, and system reliability.
The attached PTASP analyzes a three-year period, from 2023 to 2025, during which BCT reported three major safety events. All events involved fixed-route collisions. In 2024, BCT reported three non-major assaults on transit workers; none of which resulted in a reportable injury. Major mechanical failures also decreased over the three-year period, as new/replacement vehicles were placed into service improving system reliability.
The chart below summarizes the reported safety metrics. Safety Metrics may overlap, for example a collision may be classified as a major safety event and may also result in a reportable injury.
|
Safety Metric |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
3-Year Total |
|
Major Safety Events |
2 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
|
Collisions |
2 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
|
Fatalities |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Reportable Injuries |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Transit Worker Injuries |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Assaults on Transit Workers |
0 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
|
Major Mechanical Failures - Fixed Route |
29 |
19 |
12 |
60 |
To effectively implement the PTASP, the plan emphasizes clear and open communication of safety concerns and safety performance information throughout the organization. The PTASP identifies multiple methods for communicating with employees, including employee safety meetings, safety training programs, safety bulletin boards, safety bulletins, and informational flyers distributed to transit operations staff.
Based on the annual review and the safety performance information presented above, staff recommends that the City Council approve the attached BCT Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) for 2026. Approval of the PTASP will allow BCT to continue meeting federal safety planning requirements and maintain compliance with FTA oversight requirements.
COORDINATION
The PTASP was developed in coordination with Transportation Concepts, the City’s transit operator.
FISCAL IMPACT
The PTASP serves as a guide for the identification and management of safety risks and does not commit Redondo Beach to specific expenditures. Recommended safety management activities and safety enhancements are included in the Transportation Concepts Operations Agreement. Other costs outside of the Agreement will be included in the Transit Fund during the annual budgeting process. General Funds do not support Transit operations or programs.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
• Beach Cities Transit Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan, September 1, 2026