Not Just an Ache: Examining the Rate of Musculoskeletal Pain in City Bus Drivers

Not Just an Ache: Examining the Rate of Musculoskeletal Pain in City Bus Drivers

Mineta Transportation Institute

November 2018

This paper examines the rates of musculoskeletal discomfort in a sample of 957 city bus drivers at King County Metro. The researchers conducted a survey demonstrate that city bus drivers experience very high rates of musculoskeletal pain in at least one area of the body. The paper includes policy recommendations, such as the provision of active-suspension seats in the agency’s fleet of buses and better placement of key controls in the drivers’ workstation, as well as considerations for further investigation.