Resource Center

Check out some trainings that may be most useful for transit frontline workers: 

• Safety
  • Active Shooter Preparedness Training for Rural Transit Systems
  • COVID-19 Safety Guidelines for Frontline Transit Employees
  • Emergency Procedures for Rural Transit Drivers
  • Problem Passengers: Managing Difficult Passengers & Situations
  • START (Safety Training & Rural Transit) Training
  • Substance Abuse Awareness Training for Employees
  • Transit and Human Trafficking
• Drivers/Dispatchers
  • 2 the Point Training (available in Spanish)
  • ADA Driver Training
  • Customer Service Excellence
  • Customer Service for Rural and Tribal Transit Providers
  • Dispatching and Scheduling Training for Rural Transit Systems
  • Essential Skills for Trainers
  • Essential Spanish for Rural Transit
• HR
  • HR Training Shorts on Employee Recognition, Interview Questions, Onboarding, and Performance Appraisals

Check out some technical briefs and toolkits relevant to the frontline transit workforce: 

• Safety
  • Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Information and Resources for Transit
  • Healthy Habits: Reducing Stress and Fatigue and Increasing your Energy
  • Incident and Injury Report Form
  • Responding to Transit Incidents
  • Seasonal Flu: Information and Resources
  • Substance Abuse Awareness Training, Testing, and Compliance
  • Threat and Vulnerability Toolkit
• Trainers
  • Bus Roadeo Toolkit
  • Training Adult Learners: How to Reach and Engage Your Audience
• Drivers/Dispatchers
  • Customer Service in Rural Transit: How to Identify and Meet Customer Needs
  • Emergency Response Checklist: After Normal Operating Hours & Emergency Response Checklist: During Normal Operating Hours
  • Entry-Level Driver Training Requirements
  • Essential Spanish for Rural Transit
  • Mobile Driver Training Simulators
• HR
  • Applying Good Business Practices: Hiring, Training and Evaluating Employees

Offerings as of January 2025

Resource Catalogue

Session Description: De-escalation, conflict avoidance, and conflict resolution are integral to an operator’s job. Operators primarily work alone, and the driver’s seat is an extremely vulnerable position. In this session, we honestly and productively explored the ways in which operators can deal with all manner of attacks, physical and verbal, and analyzed approaches to address the range of challenges that come with this profession. Presenters discussed different training models used to support operators with their challenges and engaged with the audience in considering options that can make a positive impact.

Moderator:

• Maurice Beard: Senior Workforce Development Advisor – International Transportation Learning Center / Transit Workforce Center

Speakers:

• Jamaine “G” Gibson: Director of Apprenticeships and Workforce Development – Amalgamated Transit Union
• Tricia Prince: Safety and Training Manager – Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority
• Lakecha Strickland: President – Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1212 (TN)
• Melissa Thomas: Transportation Training Manager – Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA)
• Lisa Rae Vickery: Deputy Director of Operations Development – Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority

MC24 Conflict Resolution and De-Escalation slides

Session Description: Transit workers operate in a challenging environment in close contact with the public. Recent years have seen an increase in assaults on transit vehicles and in transit facilities, making the protection of transit workers and riders a crucial goal for the industry. This presentation will feature perspectives from research, transit agency labor and management, and the federal government. Panelists shared updates on transit assault trends, examples of mitigation strategies identified through engagement with agency leaders and frontline workers, innovations in operator workspace design, and models of successful joint labor-management safety planning through FTA’s updated PTASP rule.

Moderator:

• Lisa Staes: Associate Director – Center for Urban Transportation Research

Speakers:

• Lisa Staes: Associate Director – Center for Urban Transportation Research
• Russell Bateman: Training and Education Administrator – Amalgamated Transit Union
• Andrew Falotico: Health and Safety Director – Amalgamated Transit Union
• Alexander Houck: Deputy Chief Safety Officer – Maryland Transit Administration
• Stewart Mader: Senior Program Analyst for Safety Policy – Federal Transit Administration
• Michael McMillan: President and Business Agent – Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1300 (MD)

MC24 Transit Worker Safety slides

Session Description: This session explored mental health and wellness among frontline transit workers, offering actionable insights from the latest research, practical applications, and best practices. Presenters also highlighted the role and importance of workforce development strategies in promoting a healthier, more productive workforce, and its potential organizational impacts, such as reduced turnover and absenteeism.

Moderator: 

• Karen Philbrick: Executive Director/CEO – Mineta Transportation Institute

Speakers:

• Janie Berry: Deputy Director of Human Resources –Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
• Sandy Brennan: Vice President and Project Manager – Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning
• Michael Coplen: President & Founder – TrueSafety Evaluation, LLC
• John Courtney: Amalgamated Transportation Union Representative – Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265
• Ed Watt: Principal – WattADR

MC24 Transit Worker Mental Health slides

Session Description: Currently managing or expecting to begin the process of transitioning part of your fleet towards electrification? Transitioning from work with the 12- and 24-volts electrical systems in traditional diesel and CNG buses to Low-No buses, with upwards of 800 volts, requires a significant commitment to additional skills training and development for new and incumbent transit technicians. As a central component of a nationally-coordinated effort to help prepare frontline technicians with the training needed to meet the challenges and demands of this new technology, TWC has developed a Low-No familiarization course, currently delivered in partnership with National Transit Institute. This full-day session combined an in-depth introduction to key elements of the course resources, freely available to all, followed by an afternoon technical tour of a nearby low-no maintenance facility.

Moderator:

• Jason Macumber: Senior Advisor of Workforce Development and Technology – International Transportation Learning Center / Transit Workforce Center

Speakers:

• Brandon Liu: Instructional Designer – International Transportation Learning Center / Transit Workforce Center
• Brian Markey: Chief Executive Officer – Custom Training Aids Inc.

MC24 Transition to ZEVs slides