Wilmington Metro Incident Reporting: How to File a Report

Wilmington Metro's incident reporting system establishes a formal channel for riders, employees, and observers to document safety concerns, service failures, criminal activity, and infrastructure problems occurring on the transit network. Filing a report creates an official record that feeds into safety investigations, federal compliance audits, and service improvement processes. Understanding which report type applies to a given situation — and what information the system requires — determines whether a submission advances to resolution or is returned for clarification.

Definition and scope

An incident report, in the context of public transit operations, is a structured record of an event that deviates from normal, safe, or lawful operating conditions on the Wilmington Metro system. The scope of reportable incidents is defined by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) under 49 CFR Part 674, which establishes a State Safety Oversight framework requiring transit agencies to capture, investigate, and report safety events meeting specific thresholds.

Reportable incidents fall into two primary classifications:

FTA-Defined Reportable Events — These include fatalities, injuries requiring immediate medical attention away from the scene, and property damage exceeding the threshold set by the National Transit Database (NTD), which the FTA places at $25,000 per event (FTA National Transit Database Reporting Requirements). These events trigger mandatory reporting within defined timeframes and may involve coordination with Delaware's State Safety Oversight Agency.

Agency-Level Reportable Events — These include incidents that fall below federal thresholds but are material to Wilmington Metro operations: service disruptions, rider misconduct violations under the Wilmington Metro Rider Code of Conduct, near-miss safety events, accessibility equipment failures, and property loss or damage at stations.

Both classifications feed into the broader Wilmington Metro Safety and Security program and are subject to record retention requirements under Delaware public records law.

How it works

The incident reporting process follows a 4-stage sequence:

  1. Submission — The reporter submits an incident report through the designated channel: an online submission form, a station agent, a Transit Police officer on duty, or by contacting the operations control center directly for emergencies. Non-emergency reports submitted online require the reporter to specify the incident category, date, time, line or station, and a factual description of the event.

  2. Intake and triage — Wilmington Metro's safety office reviews each submission within 2 business days for standard reports. Reports flagged as potential FTA-reportable events are escalated immediately to the Safety Officer for priority classification.

  3. Investigation — Depending on severity, investigation may involve reviewing surveillance footage from Wilmington Metro stations (see Wilmington Metro Stations for station coverage details), interviewing operators, or coordinating with Transit Police. For major incidents, the Delaware State Safety Oversight Agency may conduct or supervise the investigation under 49 CFR Part 674, Subpart C.

  4. Resolution and notification — Once an investigation closes, a disposition is recorded. Reporters who provided contact information receive notification of the outcome for agency-level reports. FTA-reportable incident outcomes are filed with the NTD as required.

Lost items found during incident investigations are processed separately through Wilmington Metro Lost and Found.

Common scenarios

Incident reports are filed most frequently across 4 recurring scenario categories:

Decision boundaries

Not every concern warrants a formal incident report, and selecting the wrong pathway delays resolution. The following distinctions guide proper routing:

Incident Report vs. Service Complaint — A service complaint addresses dissatisfaction with schedule adherence, crowding, or general service quality. These are handled through the standard customer feedback channel. An incident report is required when there is a safety risk, a legal violation, a physical injury, or property damage involved. The Wilmington Metro main resource page provides access to both pathways.

Incident Report vs. Public Records Request — Riders seeking documentation of a prior incident for legal or insurance purposes must file a Wilmington Metro Public Records Request, not a new incident report. Filing a duplicate incident report for documentation purposes does not produce a records disclosure.

Emergency vs. Non-Emergency Submission — Any incident involving immediate physical danger, an active crime, or a vehicle or infrastructure failure that threatens rider safety requires contacting emergency services (911) first. The Wilmington Metro reporting system is not an emergency dispatch channel. Non-emergency reports submitted through the online portal have a standard 2-business-day intake window.

Reports involving contractor work on Wilmington Metro Capital Projects follow a parallel contractor incident reporting procedure that runs through the project safety officer rather than the standard rider-facing portal.

References

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