Transit Bus Safety in the U.S. – An Analysis Using the National Transit Database

There is growing interest in transit safety research. A close examination of transit safety incidents requires, to some extent, reliance on the National Transit Database (NTD). Due to limited availability and some data limitations, it can be challenging to use NTD data. This study uses a sample of NTD safety data, specifically for the motorbus and demand-response modes, augmented with interviews from the 17 participating transit agencies. Among the key findings are that over 55 percent of the sampled incidents resulted from actions of other vehicle drivers. Another vehicle hitting a stopped transit vehicle was the cause of 21 percent of the sample incidents, resulting in 8 fatalities. Ten percent of the sample incidents involved the transit vehicle colliding with a pedestrian or bicyclist, resulting in 32 fatalities. Seven percent of the sample incidents resulted in five or more injuries on the transit vehicle, and in 25 percent of these incidents, the transit vehicle was stopped. Areas for further study include recommended changes to the NTD safety reporting, and lessons learned or best practices regarding transit agency safety programs, training, work rules, and pedestrian/bike/auto awareness campaigns.