Representative Dave Min Introduces Safe Transit for All Act to Combat Harassment on Public Transportation

Washington, D.C. - Representative Dave Min (CA-47) introduced the Safe Transit for All Act, legislation to improve safety and accountability on public transportation systems by requiring large transit agencies to collect and publicly report data on passenger harassment.

Public transportation expands access to economic and social opportunity, yet fear of harassment-from unwanted comments to sexual assault and other forms of violence-can discourage many Americans from using these essential services. In the California State Senate, Rep. Min led the effort to pass a new law requiring the state's largest transit systems to collect data on passenger harassment, revealing that such incidents disproportionately affect marginalized communities and often go unreported. This bill builds on that progress by mandating ongoing, nationwide data collection and reporting to better equip transit agencies to protect passengers, increase ridership, and ensure sustainable transit systems.

"Public transportation should be safe and accessible for everyone," said Rep. Min. "No one should have to choose between getting to work, school, or home and risking harassment or intimidation on transit. But for too many riders-especially women, racial minorities, LGBTQ communities, people with disabilities, and other marginalized groups-sexual harassment and violence on public transportation remain an everyday reality. We cannot build strong transit systems if people do not feel safe using them."

"Hate and harassment on public transit remains a serious problem, but it has been difficult to address because we can't fix what we don't measure," said Co-Founder of Stop AAPI Hate and Co-Executive Director of Chinese for Affirmative Action Cynthia Choi. "The Safe Transit For All Act fills a critical information gap across state and local transit agencies, giving us the hard numbers and personal stories needed to address discrimination where it happens, before anyone else gets hurt. Thanks to similar transit safety legislation we advocated for in California, many communities have already seen firsthand what is possible when people have a safe and reliable way to report hate. We are thrilled that Representative Min is now extending the same protections to passengers nationwide, which will benefit millions more across the country"

"People with disabilities and the caregivers that many of us rely on need public transportation to stay well and independent in the communities where we belong," said Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) Policy Director Silvia Yee. "DREDF thanks Representative Min for introducing the Safe Transit for All act as it's an important step to ensuring that people with disabilities can travel without fear or harassment."

"Safety is a top concern for transit workers and the traveling public - and fiscal issues for transit systems worsen when riders don't feel safe and choose other transportation," said TWU International President John Samuelsen. "Requiring transit systems that use federal funds to establish programs that aim to reduce street harassment for the traveling public and workers is a positive step toward making transit safer."

"LGBTQ+ people are among those disproportionately impacted by hate incidents and harassment in everyday life, including on public transportation." said Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang. "Rep. Min's Safe Transit for All Act effectively holds mass transit operators accountable for the safety and well-being of their passengers and requires extensive data collection from both owner-operators and the federal government to help prevent and reduce the risk of harassment for everyone. Equality California is grateful for the leadership of Rep. Min to protect vulnerable communities and increase the safety of all."

• Codify a consistent definition of street harassment for transit agencies to include any threatening word, gesture, or action toward an individual based on a personal feature or a protected class under federal civil rights law;
• Require public transit agencies to establish reporting mechanisms to allow passengers to report street harassment experienced or witnessed while using their systems; and
• Require data on passenger harassment to be publicly reported through the Federal Transit Administration's National Transit Database.

This bill is endorsed by Stop AAPI Hate, the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, TWU International, and Equality California.

The full bill text can be found here.