Red Kite Project Awarded Five-Year Contract Extension with SEPTA to Deliver Advanced Resilience and Customer Service Training

A pair of southbound SEPTA route 23 buses near Buttonwood Street.(Pi.1415926535 from Wikimedia Commons)

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Red Kite Consulting, Inc., doing business as Red Kite Project, has officially been awarded a new five-year contract with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). Effective October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2031, the agreement extends a 16-year partnership focused on building employee resilience, mitigating workplace trauma, and improving customer service across the transit network.

Red Kite Project specializes in developing trauma-informed, resilience-building programs for high-risk, high-pressure industries. Since beginning its work with SEPTA in 2010, Red Kite Project has trained over 11,000 transit professionals, first responders, and managers nationwide. The organization’s curriculum addresses the root causes of employee burnout, equips workers to manage chronic urban trauma, and provides practical tools for de-escalating high-conflict situations.

Under the newly awarded contract, Red Kite Project will continue providing specialized social skills and crisis intervention instruction tailored to SEPTA’s operational divisions. The comprehensive training program covers:

• New Bus and Rail Hires: Five-day on-boarding courses focusing on crisis de-escalation, professional identity, and customer service skills on their second day of hire.

• Frontline Personnel: Advanced communication, threat assessment, and situational awareness training for experienced bus and rail operators, cashiers, and maintenance custodians.

• Operations Supervisors and Managers: Leadership and conflict resolution workshops incorporating Johns Hopkins’ Psychological First Aid (RAPID method) to support employees during critical incidents and foster psychological safety.

Previous evaluations of Red Kite Project’s program at SEPTA demonstrated significant improvements in key operational metrics, including a 38% reduction in non-consecutive sick days/turn-ins, a 30.6% drop in overall days out, a 28% reduction in customer complaints, and a 15% decrease in rule violations. Recognized by the Mineta Transportation Institute as a national best practice for transit safety and assault reduction, Red Kite Project remains committed to fostering safe, resilient work communities for frontline transit employees.