Implementation Guidelines - Federal Transit Administration - U.S. ...

taxi company that provides the transit service. This guidance reflects the FTA Master
Agreement, which requires recipients to include appropriate clauses in third party
contracts requiring contractors to comply with applicable Federal requirements. It also
recognizes the practical difficulty of administering a drug and alcohol testing program to
entities that only incidentally provide taxi service on behalf of a transportation service
provider.
Dispatchers. FTA requested comments on the duties and responsibilities of
dispatchers in the different transit systems. The objective was to determine whether the
duties and responsibilities vary significantly enough to warrant modification of the
current rule.
A significant number of commenters indicated that bus dispatchers whose duties
are of an administrative nature and primarily communicate directions to a bus operator do
not perform a safety-sensitive function. Other commenters indicated that their
dispatchers did indeed perform safety-sensitive functions, including but not limited to
responding to emergency situations and should remain subject to the rules. The majority
of the commenters in rural and small urban areas indicated that their dispatchers did not
perform safety-sensitive functions.
FTA Response. The comments confirm that bus dispatchers perform a myriad of
duties depending on the employer. FTA's rules apply to anyone who performs a safety-
sensitive function, which includes the control of the "dispatch or movement of a revenue
service vehicle.”
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