According to the U.S. Department of Transportation – Federal Transit Administration (FTA), there are hundreds of bus-to-person collisions yearly. “Bus-to-person collisions” include any instance where a transit bus makes contact with a pedestrian, cyclist, or person using any sort of “micro-mobility device” (such as a scooter or e-scooter).

Between 2008 and 2021, U.S. transit agencies reported 7,298 bus-to-person collisions like these. Since any given bus-to-person collision almost always includes at least one injury, if not more, those 7,298 incidents resulted in 7,329 injuries and 537 fatalities. Overall, 15 percent of all transit-related fatalities are the result of bus-to-person collisions.

During the past several years, the federal government has started taking more aggressive action to reduce bus-to-person incidents. For example, FTA Safety Advisory 23-1 (the only Safety Advisory released in 2023) was entirely dedicated to Bus-to-Person Collisions. This advisory includes key findings that can help shape your transit Operator training program to increase safety. These tweaks to your program also help ensure you’re meeting provisions in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that require transit agencies receiving federal funds to take measures to mitigate risks for pedestrians.

What We Can Learn from FTA Safety Advisory 23-1

According to the FTA, the largest proportion of bus-to-person collisions occurs at intersections (43 percent of all bus-to-person incidents), followed by mid-block (38 percent) and bus stops (15 percent).

Of the intersection collisions, more than half of all crosswalk injury/fatality collisions are during left turns. As for mid-block collisions, roughly a third were bike strikes (usually sideswipes), while another third were jaywalkers (who were often hit head-on by the bus).

The FTA identified the following three hazards as major contributors to these collisions:

1. Vehicle-related blind spots—for example, the mirrors and A-pillar can obstruct as much as a foot of the Operator’s field of view; that’s more than enough to conceal an unexpected pedestrian or cyclist
2. Exterior blind spots—include parked vehicles, signage, vendors, construction, etc.
3. Inattentive pedestrians—distracted pedestrians and cyclists unexpectedly placing themselves in the bus’s path

Frustratingly, none of these hazards are within the Operator’s control. Transit drivers cannot re-engineer their vehicles, change zoning or roadway design, or get pedestrians to look up from their phones. However, transit drivers can develop the skills necessary to navigate these hazards and challenges safely, just as they develop the skills to safely pilot their vehicles through erratic traffic and inclement weather.

The FTA recommends modifying training programs and refresher courses to help Operators improve blind-spot management and square up their left turns. Countless transit agencies across the U.S. are already using FAAC’s immersive transit simulators, which include a library of road-validated scenarios and custom scenario authoring tools to fine-tune their training and address these core skills.

Using Simulators to Reduce Bus-to-Person Collisions

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) currently uses FAAC simulators in its intensive three-day basic “Vehicle Operations” unit. This unit is designed to help inexperienced operators feel safe and confident piloting a 43,000-pound, 40-foot vehicle through packed Boston streets.

Derek Sullivan described how he had used simulation as an instructor at MBTA. For example, he’ll begin a sim session with seat and mirror setup, then launch the Blindspot Awareness Script he created using the simulator’s included drag-and-drop scenario authoring tools.

“I put [random] objects in the blind spots around the bus,” he explained. “When the Operator finally gets their seat and mirrors set, I ask the Operator: Please identify all the hazards you can see. New Operators often don’t move around in their seats when scanning for hazards like they’re supposed to. We teach them to ‘rock and roll’ in the seat. So, I coach them: ‘Why don’t you lean forward and tell me what you see?’ … [T]o get them used to moving around in the seat to see around the blind spots of the bus.”

From there, Sullivan’s trainees would work through a series of standard bus driving simulation scenarios (included with every FAAC simulator). Numerous agencies have validated FAAC’s library of “road-tested” scenarios, which cover off-tracking stopping distance and similar routine tasks.

Following these basics, Sullivan would return to a custom scenario based on a local intersection that has been the site of several pedestrian strikes. “Operators tend to sweep that [left] turn,” Sullivan noted. “We train them to make that nice square turn.”

During the lecture portion of the course, trainees see re-enactments of the accident, including aerial views of the intersection and how a bus passes through it. Then, in simulation, they can personally experience that same intersection from the Operator’s point of view.

Reduce Risk and Improve Safety with FAAC Training Sims

MBTA has found simulation to be a powerful tool, helping transit Operators “tie together” their intellectual understanding of safe driving procedures with the real-world muscle-memory skills needed to safely complete left turns, scan blind spots, and so on in an environment that allows them to safely interact with high-risk hazards.

For more than 50 years, FAAC has provided simulation-based turnkey training solutions for transit agencies, public safety, the military, and private industry. FAAC is especially noted for advancing mass transit Operator training. In 1999, FAAC introduced the first immersive bus transit training simulator, which was later named among the top 100 safety improvements of the last 150 years by APTA.

Have questions? Want to talk about changes to your Operator training programs? Feel free to contact us. Our team of experts looks forward to speaking with you.