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The Transit Workforce Center is pleased to host a curated collection of publications and other materials to assist stakeholders engaged in transit workforce development. The Resource Center includes case studies, training materials, research reports, and other materials of interest, including publications produced by federal government agencies, transit organizations, and independent research entities. Resources may be filtered by topic, resource type, and transit mode. This TWC blog post explains how to use the Resource Center.
We are continuing to update the Resource Center regularly. Please contact us via the Request Help menu option if you would like assistance using the Resource Center or are looking for resources on a particular topic. We also welcome suggestions of topics or specific resources to add.
Content in external resources linked from the Resource Center is solely the responsibility of the resource authors and does not necessarily reflect the perspectives of or endorsement by the Transit Workforce Center.
Transit Workforce Data Dashboard Webinar: Harnessing the Power of Data for Transit Workforce Development
TWC hosted a webinar titled “Transit Workforce Data Dashboard Webinar: Harnessing the Power of Data for Transit Workforce Development” on February 28, 2024. The Dashboard features innovative visualizations of transit and transportation workforce statistics and demographics from the National Transit Database (NTD) and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It can be used to highlight key issues, like the high proportion of transit workers nearing retirement age, the potential for greater participation in key transportation occupations, and the need to hire extensively in the coming decade. A new interactive page launched in February, allowing users to filter NTD employment data by agency.
TWC demonstrated the full dashboard, discussed lessons learned from working with NTD and BLS data, and opened up a Q&A for participants to ask questions or share their unique data needs.
Transit Workforce Center
February 2024
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At the end of the webinar, TWC shared a survey to collect unique transit workforce data needs and feedback for potential additions to the Data Dashboard. The survey continues to accept responses and can be found below.
Webinar Recording
Webinar Slides
Transit Workforce Data Needs Survey
Transit Workforce Data Dashboard
Mental Health, Wellness, and Resilience for Transit System Workers
TCRP Research Report 245: Mental Health, Wellness, and Resilience for Transit System Workers provides a detailed summary of common factors that influence the mental health, well-being, and resiliency of frontline transit workers and includes a range of solutions that transit agencies can implement to address them. Findings were determined using a mix of research methods, including multiple interviews and focus groups with frontline employees, transit agency management, and union leadership at two different points in the project.
Transit Cooperative Research Program
February 2024
TOPICS: Policy and Planning, Safety and Health
Contributor(s): Sandy Brennan, Elias Frantz Orjuela, Kyle Hearing, Sofie Rhoads, Lori Zeller, Samantha G. Farris, Andrea Lubin, Soumitra S. Bhuyan, Lilly Derby, Koshy Koshy; Transit Cooperative Research Program; Transportation Research Board; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Transit, Belabored: Issues and Futures for California’s Frontline Transit Workforce
This report focuses on frontline transit workforce issues, including employee pay, issues before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the workforce shortage. The report is mainly about transit operators, but also touches on mechanics. It draws on quantitative and qualitative data, including wage data by agency and sector, contracts and agency documents, and interviews with union leaders, agency managers, and operators themselves.
Institute of Transportation Studies
February 2024
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De-Escalation Training Resource Directory
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has gathered these resources to support the transit industry in developing, implementing, and updating their training programs. The resources illustrate ways agencies throughout the transit industry are implementing de-escalation training.
Federal Transit Administration
February 2024
TOPICS: Policy and Planning, Safety and Health, Training
Video on Low-No Bus Training
In this video, James Hall, Principal & Founder of ZEB Tech, and Bekhi Spika, Vice President & Chief Revenue Officer of Spika Design & Manufacturing, have a conversation about transitioning and training the transit workforce for low-no buses.
Spika Design & Manufacturing
February 2024
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How to Deal with the Worker Shortage and Evolving Skill Requirements of the Public Transport Sector
This report provides a European counterpart to those produced within the United States on the transit workforce shortage. It gives an overview of the workforce shortage’s causes, as well as recommendations for addressing evolving skill requirements and more.
Expert Group on Urban Mobility, European Commission
February 2024
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Video on New Standards for the Low-No Bus Fleet
In this video, Bryan Sooter, P.E., Director of Standards at the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), and Bekhi Spika, VP and CRO of Spika Design & Manufacturing, have a conversation about low-no standards, including how standards are created in public transportation; the challenges faced by transit agencies in getting prepared for an entirely new way of operating with entirely new technology in existing, new or modified infrastructure; the kinds of areas that new standards on low-no can be expected to encompass; and the guidance on resources available from APTA for transit agencies shifting to low-no fleets.
Spika Design & Manufacturing
February 2024
TOPICS: Low-No, Policy and Planning, Training
Case Study: Golden Gate Transit & Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1575
Marin County, California-based Golden Gate Transit (GGT) operates commuter bus lines in four Bay Area counties, including San Francisco. Like many agencies, GGT has struggled with operator recruitment and retention. To address these challenges, the agency and the union representing operators, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1575, formed a labor-management partnership, the Workforce Investment Network (WIN). The WIN partnership has implemented bus operator mentorship, apprenticeship, and pre-apprenticeship programs; formed partnerships with educational institutions and community groups; and identified opportunities to remove particular barriers to entry for job seekers.
Transit Workforce Center
February 2024
TOPICS: Apprenticeship, Career Pathways, Community Engagement, Hiring and Recruitment, Labor-Management Partnerships, Mentorship, Policy and Planning, Trainer and Mentor Development, Training, Workforce Shortage
Read Rich Diaz’s Transit Career Story on the TWC Blog to learn more.
View the full case study below: