Urban, rural and specialized transit services provide an important source of transportation for may persons in the United States. A number of concerns must be addressed to ensure the safety of passengers during transit emergencies. The needs of passengers can be addressed through carefully planned emergency response procedures, proper training of transit and emergency response personnel, and effective use of equipment. The recommendations contained herein are therefore intended to assist transit and emergency response organization personnel to evaluate their emergency response plans and, if necessary, modify or supplement those plans accordingly. This document contains recommendations for the use by urban, rural, and specialized transit systems which utilize motor vehicles to provide transportation service to the general public, elderly of disabled person, clients of human service agencies, etc. Section 2 presents a brief review of emergency response considerations (including the transit environment, vehicle and passenger characteristics, typical emergency scenarios, and response personnel) which influence the type of response that may be necessary and which determine whether passengers should be evacuated. Sections 3 and 4 include minimum recommendations, procedures, and criteria which should be employed by transit systems to enhance their particular emergency plans, procedures, and training, as appropriate for their individual operations. Plans, procedures, and training for emergency response personnel (including volunteers) are also reviewed. Section 5 presents minimum recommendations for vehicle features which are intended to minimize the effects of an emergency on passengers, shorten emergency response time, and improve the effectiveness of passenger evacuation. The guidelines in that section are intended to be used primarily for the procurement of new vehicles and vehicle rehabilitation.