Metro is expanding its Confidential Close Call Transit Safety Reporting system to include bus employees, according to a report for the board.

The program exists “to enhance safety by increasing the opportunity for rail and transit infrastructure employee confidential reporting of incidents or situations that have the potential for more serious consequences,” the report says.

It works like this: Metro employees looking to blow the whistle on unsafe conditions submit a report to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, who removes any identifying information about the worker and conducts an interview. BTS brings its findings to a peer review team that helps identify trends and make suggestions for improvement.

The idea is to create better conditions for workers to speak out without fearing blowback.

Confidential Close Call was the first of its kind in an American city when it launched for rail and transit infrastructure workers in 2013, in response to a National Transportation Safety Board recommendation following the deadly 2009 Metro accident at Fort Totten. Now, it will be the first to include bus employees. The expansion was first reported by Washington City Paper.

New Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld says that safety and reliability are top priorities. WMATA is currently looking to hire a new chief safety officer, and the Federal Transit Authority took over safety oversight of the agency in late October.