The Federal Transit Authority is proposing to rewrite bus safety rules to deal with the rise in average weight of riders using bus transit. According to USA Today, the FTA is considering raising the assumed average weight per rider from 150 to 175 pounds, which would mean fewer people would be allowed on transit buses. Existing federal guidelines for average passenger weight are based on surveys done in 1960-62 on what Americans weighed then. The FTA is also considering adding a quarter of a square foot of floor space per passenger, the agency says, “to acknowledge the expanding girth of the average passenger.” It’s too soon to say how the new safety rule would adversely affect transit companies or the change in bus design. For more, visit www.usatoday.com.
