Secretary Chao reminds APTA crowd about FTA safety oversight deadline
Federal law requires states with rail transit systems to establish an FTA-certified SSO Program by April 15, 2019 or risk having federal funds to public transportation agencies throughout that state withheld until certification is achieved.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced that Minnesota is the second of 30 states to receive Federal Transit Administration (FTA) certification for its State Safety Oversight (SSO) Program. Federal law requires states with rail transit systems to establish an FTA-certified SSO Program by April 15, 2019 or risk having federal funds to public transportation agencies throughout that state withheld until certification is achieved. Secretary Chao made the announcement during her remarks at the 2017 APTA Annual Meeting and EXPO in Atlanta on Wednesday.
"Safety is the top priority for the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration," said Secretary Chao. "Public transit will continue to play an important role in the future of our nation’s infrastructure. We are committed to keeping our nation’s transit systems safe, reliable, and accessible."
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Chao also visited several booths on the APTA Expo show floor, including visiting with Buddy Coleman in the Clever Devices booth.
Minnesota is the second state to complete the process and have its SSO Program certified. In August, FTA announced that Ohio was the first state to be certified.
"FTA is working to partner with the remaining 28 states to help them establish their State Safety Oversight Program prior to the April 15, 2019 deadline," said FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams, in her remarks to APTA attendees on Monday. "I want to emphasize, that FTA will do all we can to help each of the states meet the deadline so that they can continue to receive federal transit funding that contribute to making rail and bus services possible."
States that fail to establish an FTA-certified SSO Program by the deadline are at risk of having all transit dollars withheld until certification is achieved. That includes funds for rail, bus, and other transit services in urbanized and non-urbanized areas. FTA is urging states to work quickly to enact any necessary legislation, particularly those states whose legislatures meet only part-time or biennially. Currently, five states (Illinois, Michigan, New York, Oklahoma, and Tennessee) and Puerto Rico still require state legislative or executive action prior to FTA certification. By federal law, the April 15, 2019 deadline cannot be waived or extended.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.
