Response - Transit Situational Awareness Training

Provide Training that Bus Operators Deserve

Nothing more fully prepares bus operators for what they will do during a transportation run than placing them in those situations during training. FAAC’s simulation-based transit training systems can combine vehicle operations, assault awareness, and customer response in a single training session. The result is a much more realistic experience—one that gives bus operators an opportunity to practice “juggling” safe bus operations with situational awareness, critical thinking, and identifying the types of incidents that could lead to an assault or other emergency.

Transit Operator Situational Awareness, Incident Response, and Assault Prevention Training

According to the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine: “assaults on transit operators … contribute to absence, productivity shortfalls, and increased levels of stress for the operators. In addition to causing injuries, assaults against transit operators on transit vehicles, at bus stops, and on platforms causes fear and engenders a negative perception of transit in the minds of the public and transit passengers, as well as the transit workforce.”

A recent analysis of data from the Federal Transit Administration National Transit Database shows that “major events” of violence against transit workers tripled between 2008 and 2022. But even that alarming number doesn’t tell the entire story. The FTA definition of “major events” only includes acts of violence resulting in “one or more fatalities or injuries requiring medical transport.” Factoring in “non-major” incidents targeting transit employees—including battery, unwanted touching, verbal assaults and other threats of violence or harm—would send these numbers off the charts.

Transit agencies are taking action to reduce the likelihood of assault incidents. Key among these: improved training to ensure transit bus operators have the necessary information, knowledge and skills to handle any situation.

Transit Response - Operator Response Training

Reduce the Likelihood of Assault Incidents with Transit Response

FAAC’s Response Situational Simulator is a branching, scenario-based interaction simulator that prepares workers with the knowledge and skills they need to address the full range of possible passenger interactions and on-bus emergencies.

Response is available on both FAAC’s MB 2000 and Paratransit Simulator. These bus simulators both feature cabs that replicate the metro transit environment drivers interact with on a daily basis: authentic bus dash; side instrument panel; and driver’s seat configuration; optional real mirrors; TrueFeel Steering; immersive Doppler surround sound; and full simulation of acceleration; brake behavior; camber recovery; tire scrub; curb strikes; road vibration; and more.

Each of these simulators can run any of hundreds of included or custom transit scenarios, ranging from simple skill-building tasks (e.g., coping with mirror parallax, managing right-hand clearance, managing blind spots, backing, lane clearing, etc.) to driving full revenue routes.

Any of these driving scenarios can also incorporate a customer interaction scenario. These branching video-based scenarios are embedded on the bus simulator’s rear monitor, and incorporate direct personal interactions, including customer service, passenger conflict, and situational awareness situations. Drivers practice assault awareness and prevention strategies; learn the importance of seeking assistance (and the best way to do so); de-escalation strategies; emergency response procedures; and passenger interactions—all while safely managing their vehicle.

All of these features work together to provide a realistic training program that prepares metro transit drivers for safe and defensive driving–without the dangers posed by putting trainees behind the wheel (even on a closed course) too soon.

Provide Structured Feedback to Increase Safety

Every FAAC transit sim comes with VITALS, the Virtual Instructor Trainee Assessment and Learning System. This graphical assessment tool guides after-action review and debriefing. VITALS helps instructors develop custom curricula and set goals for each trainee based on recognized best practices, agency policy, and that trainee’s specific strengths and areas of improvement. It also helps increase bus operator safety and effectiveness by ensuring policy and procedures are consistently communicated and taught throughout your agency.

Benefits of Assault Awareness and Prevention for Transit Operators
Intensified Situational Training prepares workers for unanticipated events
Improve student confidence to make good decisions alone or as part of a class
Scenarios are filmed purposefully, challenging trainees to recall and enact your policies and procedures
Transit bus operators manage situations and deploy prevention strategies from the driver’s seat
Reinforce best practices for de-escalation, emergency procedures, communication, and response skills
Assess trainees’ response tendencies
Real-time student review and integrated assessment and reporting tools

The Response Simulator is the bridge between classroom learning and real-life experience. Engage students and develop their competencies through practice in an interactive, immersive, simulated environment. Response prepares transit drivers to recognize incidents that could be considered assault, employ prevention strategies, de-escalate situations, and ensure that your written policies will translate into day-to-day procedure.

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Build a Custom Communication, De-Escalation, and Assault Awareness and Prevention Course for Your Agency

Your Response Situational Simulator is developed in concert with your agency. FAAC coordinates with instructors to storyboard the most important scenarios, then provides a full film crew with professional equipment to capture the scenarios on-site, ensuring the scripts are on message and accurately captures what your agency needs. The final product is a training tool that challenges the trainee while reinforcing your policies and procedures.

We start the development stage by helping you identify your training objective (i.e., the specific skill, policy, or response you want the trainee to hone). Next, we help you determine a situation in which the training objective can be achieved.

When producing interactive scenarios, good technique and proper planning are equally important. Our planning and attention to proven filmmaking techniques allow us to produce the most effective immersive scenarios for passenger interaction training.

Contact us to discuss Response scenario development and request a free eBook that explains our process for producing the most effective training scenarios.

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Transit Response Customer-for-Life

FAAC’s simulation solutions provide transit agency instructional staff with everything they need to prepare their drivers for any eventuality: inclement weather, equipment failures, erratic drivers, new EV buses, medical emergencies, angry riders, and more.

We embrace a “Customer for Life” philosophy. We invest the time upfront to understand your needs, then develop and deliver the appropriate turnkey solution. We’ll help you find the best way to integrate this custom solution into your training processes and support you in maintaining and evolving this solution as your needs change over time.

We don’t sell equipment; we partner with municipalities, transit agencies, and their staff and instructors to develop and create their ideal training solution. Contact us today to speak to our experts. They look forward to hearing from you!