But this kind of formal review - called a safety management inspection, or SMI - has only happened twice before: in Boston in 2022, and Washington D.C. Under federal law, the FTA is authorized to conduct direct inspections, investigations and audits of any public transportation agency, he noted. “The safety of SEPTA’s passengers and workforce is of paramount concern to FTA.” “The Federal Transit Administration is extremely concerned with the ongoing safety issues at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority,” wrote Joseph DeLorenzo, the FTA’s associate administrator for transit safety, in an August letter sent to PennDOT and SEPTA, first reported by The Inquirer. FTA officials decided they needed to directly review SEPTA’s rail and bus operations themselves.
