Texas Transit Association

“Safety is not just a catch-phrase at METRO,” said METRO President & Chief Executive Officer Shirley A. DeLibero. “Every employee understands that the work we do each day impacts the safety of our operation. Our customers expect the highest quality from their transit system and there can be no compromises in ensuring that they receive it.”

METRO Breaks Own Safety Record Second Year In A Row
Oct. 22, 2003

Proving that safety remains METRO’s No. 1 priority, the transit authority has broken its annual safety record two years in a row by logging 0.89 accidents per 100,000 miles in Fiscal Year 2003.

The record for the 2003 year, which ended Sept. 30, bested METRO’s previous record of 0.99 accidents per 100,000 miles set in Fiscal Year 2002. METRO’s Fallbrook Bus Operating Facility had the lowest accident rate among all METRO facilities, with 0.68 accidents per 100,000 miles.

In recent years, METRO has implemented numerous new or improved training programs designed to enhance not only operational safety but customer service. Among the safety initiatives in place at METRO are high-tech bus simulators, which create realistic driving environments and conditions, and a mentor program that pairs new Bus Operators with veteran drivers.

Earlier this year, METRO’s Safety & Training Division won the National Transit Institute’s Model Training Program Award for the Authority’s successful safety training programs.

Due to the different methods transit agencies nationwide use to measure and calculate their annual safety results, an accurate comparison to other agencies or an industry standard is not possible.

“There is no question that METRO is among the top agencies nationwide in terms of safe operations, as the NTI award indicates,” DeLibero said. “It’s also important to note these records were achieved during a period of extensive construction throughout the Houston region.”