Transit services should be first and foremost safe. Fatigue is a significant root cause of vehicle
accidents, near misses, customer complaints about rudeness, and can be a contributor to
onboard assaults when a person is in a state of acute or chronic fatigue. Fitness for Duty should
drive all legal, policy and daily operating decisions by the agency and fatigue critically affects an
employee’s ability to perceive and react quickly and appropriately. Agencies must have in place
appropriate policies and procedures for identifying and preventing issues related to fatigue.
Transit agencies must determine that frontline employees (bus and van operators, mechanics,
dispatchers) are fit for duty, physically, emotionally, and mentally for their difficult and
potentially dangerous jobs.