Resource Center

The importance of security barriers for transit bus operators became even clearer after the fatal attack on a Tampa, Florida, bus operator in 2019. The need for security barriers was reinforced by a serious attack on another operator for that same system later that year. While these are two extreme examples, they are likely not unique, as many assaults against transit workers have been underreported in the past. Another important but more pernicious risk to bus operator health is viral and bacterial infection.

TCRP Research Report 249: Bus Operator Barrier Design: Guidelines and Considerations provides information and guidance for North American public transportation agencies, standards committees, and government and non-government policymaking organizations on designing, procuring, and installing bus operator barriers to prioritize the health and safety of essential operators and the public they serve.

Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; STYL&TECH; International Transportation Learning Center; Transportation Research Board; Transit Cooperative Research Program; Andrew Krum; Scott Tidwell; Joshua Skole; Erin Mabry; Aditi Manke; Tarah Crowder; Christy Campoll

TCRP Research Report 249

Given current workforce shortages, reaching out and engaging older workers is of interest to many employers. The AmeriCorps Seniors research team developed five older adult workforce program tip sheets on topics relevant to interacting with older adults in the workforce. You can view the tip sheets on the project website, which are linked here:

Tipsheet 1 Recruitment Strategies for Older Workers Tipsheet 2 Learning Community Principles Tipsheet 3 Older Adult Workforce Tipsheet 4 Participant Challenges Tipsheet 5 Volunteer Matching

The Project on Workforce released new recommendations for educators, employers, and policymakers on how to improve college-to-jobs connections. With these webinars and stakeholder briefs, they aim to increase attention and investment in college-to-career transitions and show how colleges can better deliver on economic prosperity.

College-to-Jobs Initiative page

The rapid advancement and proliferation of technology increases the need for accelerated and continuous workforce development. Prioritizing the upskilling of frontline workers requires a variety of educational programs, and there is no single answer to the upskilling challenge. Still, UpSkill America and the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) created this report of best practices that can help any organization become more productive and resilient via a skilled workforce.

Read the brief to learn more about next practices in upskilling, including internal training, apprenticeship, and tuition assistance that will help any organization to be more productive and resilient for the future.

Upskilling Frontline Workers: Three Strategies to Future-Proof your Workforce

Enjoy this recorded convening of TWC’s American Transit Training and Apprenticeship Innovators Network (ATTAIN) comprised of several engaging presentations that highlight apprenticeship programs across the nation, followed by interactive discussions with Fairfax County Connector/Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689 and Metro Transit/ATU Local 1005 on the development of mentorship and apprenticeship programs, how they work, and the benefits they can offer agencies and their workforce.

Below, you can find the link to the full slideshow used in the meeting.

ATTAIN Bus Maintenance 2024 Slides

Below, you will find the link to the full slideshow used during the webinar as well as other useful resources.

Webinar Slides FTA Resource on Electric Bus Deployment TWC Low-No Workforce Transition Resources TWC BEB Familiarization Course Joint Office of Energy and Transportation

Driving trucks and buses is a physically demanding occupation that carries one of the highest injury rates of major occupational categories in the United States. Drivers often work in postures that increase risk of low back pain and other musculoskeletal disorders, slow their response time, and put them at increased risk for acute injuries due to crashes.

TCRP Research Report 247: Assessing Lifecycle and Human Costs of Bus Operator Workstation Design and Components, from TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program, creates an easy-to-use toolkit for predicting the long-term safety of and promoting a healthy environment in bus operator workstations.

Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Transportation Research Board; Transit Cooperative Research Program; Songlin Wu; Eunsik Kim; Andris Freivalds; Yiqi Zhang; Matthew Parkinson

TCRP Research Report 247