SB 434 FINDINGS
CONTEXT
There has been rising concern over harassment and hate‑incidents on public transit—especially following the COVID‑19 pandemic, which saw an uptick in verbal and physical harassment targeting Asian Americans and other marginalized groups. For example, the advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate reported thousands of incidents, many of them occurring in public transportation settings. Recognizing that many riders – particularly women, LGBTQ+ individuals, seniors, and people of color – avoid transit because they feel unsafe or subject to harassment, it is important to collect data on rider experiences so that transit agencies (and other stakeholders) and can understand the issue, which is the critical first step towards meaningfully addressing it. This was the primary motivation for California Senate Bill 63.
WHAT IS CALIFORNIA SENATE BILL 434?
Senate Bill 434 (SB 434) is a California law enacted in 2023 that mandates the state’s ten largest public transit agencies to collect, publish and act upon data related to riders’ experiences of street harassment, discrimination, and safety concerns on buses, trains and other transit services. The bill was signed into law by Gavin Newsom on October 7, 2023.
The overarching goal of SB 434 is to enhance the safety, comfort and trust of riders in California’s major transit systems so that public transportation becomes a viable, inclusive option for everyone—particularly for those who may be deterred from riding due to fear of harassment or discrimination. By systematically documenting what’s happening, where, and to whom, transit agencies can implement evidence‑based strategies to reduce harassment, increase rider confidence, and thereby grow ridership. Advocates and authors of the bill believe that when more people feel safe and included using transit, it helps advance equity, sustainability and more effective use of transit infrastructure in the state.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM SB 63 FINDINGS?
Under SB 434, the state's ten largest transit operators were required to:
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Collect survey data covering riders’ experiences of harassment, threats, assaults or fear while using transit
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Conduct outreach to under‑represented sub‑populations of riders about their harassment and safety experiences.
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Publish the survey results on their websites and make the data publicly available
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Use the data to inform and tailor safety interventions, policy changes and resource allocation so as to improve the rider experience and ultimately boost ridership among populations who might otherwise avoid transit.
In preliminary analysis of the survey data, it is clear that many agencies report non‑trivial levels of harassment and safety concerns among riders. For example, the chart below summarizes riders' perceptions of transit safety across several Southern aCalfornia operators:
The data highlights that across the large California transit operators, the majority of riders feel safe while transiting, however there remain riders with meaningful concerns. Their underlying unsafe feelings likely relate to the fear and perception of harassment which, unfortunately, is surfacing more commonly than desired.
Some representative examples of harassment from the study are excerpted below:
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62% of Valley Transit Authority (VTA) passengers experienced or witnessed hostile comments, sounds, or gestures
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64% of San Diego MTS passengers experienced or saw incidents of harassment in the prior year
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35% of LA Metro passengers experienced/saw following or stalking behavior in the past 6 months
Importantly, the survey results directionally show that certain groups report higher incidence of or greater concern about harassment: women (especially women of color), LGBTQ+ riders, riders with disabilities, and non‑English speakers all appear disproportionately represented in negative experiences. To illustrate with a specific (and concerning) example, in the BART survey, 20% of females indicated personal exposure to "sexual comments, sounds, looks, or gestures" as compared to 4% for males.
Another notable insight from the SB 434 data is that the majority of passenger harassment incidents are unreported, as shown in the chart below:
The surveys indicate that safety and harassment concerns are not marginal — they are measurable and widespread across major transit systems in California. For transit agencies and policymakers, the data provide a foundation for evidence‑based interventions (e.g., improved lighting, staffing, reporting mechanisms, targeted awareness campaigns) that may help increase ridership by improving rider confidence.
Some preliminary insights per transit operator are visualized here. To more fully understand the state of passenger harassment in California, a comprehensive analysis of SB 434 survey data is currently in progress at the Mineta Transportation Institute, slated for completion in June 2026.