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Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Applauds Senator Hagerty’s Bill to Make Transit Safer for American Families

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today praised the introduction of Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN)’s Safe Transit Act. This landmark legislation will crack down on violent crime, end rampant fare evasion, and restore public safety across America’s public transportation systems. The bill features key measures the Trump Administration has pushed for since the start of the Administration.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, we’ve used every tool in our toolbox to make transit systems safer, cleaner, and more family-friendly. Our work has slashed fare evasion, increased law enforcement patrols, and reduced crime — including right here in our nation’s capital. But for the stubborn states, cities, and systems that refuse to meet basic safety standards, we need more flexibility to hold them accountable," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “I want to thank Senator Hagerty for leading this critical legislation and ensuring hardworking-taxpayer dollars deliver transit systems that Americans can be proud of.”

“Too many Democrat-led cities and states take taxpayer dollars while letting crime run rampant on public transit. This must end. My legislation would direct federal funding to communities that actually protect passengers and promote public safety. It’s time to put Americans’ safety first,” said Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN).

“The federal government should not have to sound the alarm on insufficient transit safety protocols on the state and city level. Thanks to Secretary Duffy’s tireless efforts, this legislation gives FTA the backing we need to enforce basic safety standards, clean up high-crime systems, and put the safety of transit riders and workers first,” said FTA Acting Deputy Administrator Matthew Cahill. 

Key Provisions of the Safe Transit Act:

  • Allows the Department to withhold 100 percent of federal funds to cities and local governments that fail to criminalize fare evasion, ban violent offenders from transit systems, or allow personal recognizance and cash-free release for transit crimes.
  • Requires transit agencies in urban areas to invest at least 3 percent of federal formula funding into safety and crime prevention initiatives, including lighting improvements, security cameras, emergency call boxes, and protective barriers for bus drivers.
  • Authorizes the Department to withhold up to 50 percent of federal transit funding from cities with crime rates significantly higher than the national transit average.
  • Establishes binding nationwide performance standards for physical turnstiles, gates, and fare collection infrastructure to stop fare jumpers.
  • Requires all new federally funded buses and rail vehicles to be equipped with inward- and outward-facing security cameras and event recorders.
  • Since the beginning of the Trump Administration, Secretary Duffy has launched a number of initiatives to hold both states and transit systems accountable for their failure to keep commuters and transit workers safe on their systems.

Additional Information:

Under Secretary Duffy’s leadership, FTA has called on agencies across the country to improve safety measures, including:

These actions have resulted in:

  • CTA boosting police patrols by 75% under a new security plan.
  • WMATA reporting a decrease in crime on trains by more than 30% and criminal incidents on buses down by nearly 40% in 2025.
  • Charlotte City Council voting to expand the jurisdiction for the private security company that patrols the transit system as well as North Carolina passing Iryna’s Law, which seeks to change pretrial release conditions for people charged with violent offenses, among other measures.
  • Metro Los Angeles hiring their first-ever police chief to lead a dedicated transit police force.
  • SEPTA launching new security measures including a virtual patrol division to monitor over 30,000 cameras and provide real-time information to officers on the ground and putting more officers on trains.
  • San Francisco’s BART system installing Next Generation Fare Gates at all 50 BART stations to combat fare evasion
     

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