Congressman Van Drew Introduces Bill to Reduce Crime on Public Transportation

Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Van Drew announced the introduction of the Safe Transit Act , which would establish federal crime reduction standards for public transit agencies and tie their federal funding to their progress in keeping passengers safe. "Across the country, innocent people are being stabbed, assaulted, and attacked on public transit for absolutely no reason," said Congressman Van Drew. "These are people going to work, coming home to their families, and just living their lives. It is sickening, and it has to stop. We cannot allow this kind of lawlessness to become normal in America. If transit agencies want federal taxpayer dollars, they need to show they are making real progress in keeping people safe. With this bill, we are going to set clear standards to hold them accountable and make sure public safety is a priority. Americans deserve to feel safe, and I will not accept anything less." Background: The Safe Transit Act would allow the Department of Transportation (DOT) to withhold federal transit funding from agencies that fail to make adequate progress toward federally established crime reduction targets. The bill would measure agencies against national crime statistics, require stronger fare evasion prevention infrastructure, and require large transit agencies to build their own apps, under standards the DOT sets, for passengers to report assaults and safety problems. Click here to read the text of the Safe Transit Act . Companion legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) as S. 5492 , the Safe Transit Act.