1-855-888-NTWC (6892)
twc@transportcenter.orgTopics
Fatigue Resources for Transit Operations
To support the transit industry, FTA has compiled resources that can be used to better understand fatigue and fatigue-related issues in the workplace. The site includes resources about understanding sleep, causes of fatigue, symptoms and warning signs, effects, relevance to transit workers and agencies, and fatigue risk management systems.
Federal Transit Administration
TOPICS: Policy and Planning , Safety and Health , Training
3 Ways to Make Bus Driving a Better Job
This report highlights ways that bus driving can be improved for workers to help increase retention and recruitment. The report explains three specific ways: redesigning the job for health and success, raising pay and creating opportunities for advancement, and making a more flexible schedule.
The National Campaign for Transit Justice
March 2024
Mental Health, Wellness, and Resilience for Transit System Workers
TCRP Research Report 245: Mental Health, Wellness, and Resilience for Transit System Workers, a pre-publication from TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program, 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
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
National Outreach Survey for Transportation (NOST)
This report explores the status of sex and labor trafficking in the transportation industry. It explains and highlights a survey of frontline data collected from across the transportation industry, as well as from sex and labor trafficking survivors and direct victim service providers. Data analysis includes information about the current knowledge base on sex trafficking among frontline transportation workers and suggestions for training.
United Against Slavery
January 2024
TOPICS: Policy and Planning , Safety and Health , Training
Passenger Assistance, Safety And Sensitivity (PASS) Program Handbook
CTAA’s Passenger Assistance, Safety and Sensitivity (PASS) driver training program provides resources and standards for operators to transport passengers in the most safe, sensitive and careful manner possible. PASS is ideal for non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) trips, for ADA paratransit services, for specialized transit for older passengers, for human and social service riders — really any transportation operation where the passengers require extra care.
Community Transportation Association of America
January 2024
Transit Exclusion Policies in Public Transportation Systems
This report documents the practice of the use of transportation exclusion policies in North American transit systems. It is designed to help transit agencies in understanding the usefulness of such policies, as well as understanding the methods for creating, amending, or supplementing exclusion policies to maximize their effectiveness in reducing crime and disorder within their respective transit systems.
Transit Cooperative Research Program
January 2024
TOPICS: Policy and Planning , Safety and Health , Training
Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Transportation Research Board; Transit Cooperative Research Program; Patricia Bye; Deborah Matherly
Human Trafficking: Awareness to Action
This webinar reviews the anti-trafficking resources available to transit agencies, shares success stories from the transit industry, and highlights a newly developed template for implementing human trafficking response protocols, which are vital to effective anti-trafficking initiatives. The accompanying toolkit guides transit agencies on steps they can take to help combat human trafficking, including how they can partner with Busing on the Lookout (BOTL) to implement anti-human trafficking training and policies in their operations.
Presenters:
- Jodi Godrey, Center For Urban Transportation Research
- Lexi Higgins, Busing on the Lookout (BOTL) at Truckers Against Trafficking
American Public Transportation Association
January 2024
TOPICS: Safety and Health
Using Your Safety Management System (SMS) to Protect Transit Workers from Assaults
FTA is working with transit agencies to address the ongoing risk of assaults on transit workers using Safety Management System principles and methods, which FTA adopted as the basis of its Public Transportation Safety Program and Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans (PTASP) regulation.
FTA has developed technical assistance resources to help transit agencies conduct safety risk assessments related to assaults on transit workers and develop safety risk mitigations.
Check out FTA’s full page of crime prevention assistance resources.
Federal Transit Administration
December 2023
TOPICS: Policy and Planning , Safety and Health
Mental Health Resources for Transit Workers
The Federal Transit Administration has aggregated the mental health resources to support transit industry workers during challenging times. Topics include suicide prevention, active shooter preparedness, mental health first aid, and more.
U.S. Department of Tranportation, Federal Transit Administration
December 2023
TOPICS: Safety and Health
Transportation for People with Disabilities and Older Adults During COVID-19: Lessons for Emergency Response
This pre-publication report aims to provide transportation organizations (including transit agencies, specialized transportation providers, and other local government agencies and stakeholders) with helpful information and strategies on providing service for persons with disabilities and older adults in emergency situations.
Transportation Cooperative Research Program
October 2023
Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Transportation Research Board; Transit Cooperative Research Program; Todd Hansen; Zachary Elgart; Ipek Sener; Patricia Bye
Battery Electric Bus Familiarization Course
Transit Workforce Center
September 2023
This course provides participants with an overview and familiarization to battery electric bus (BEB) basics. This will include an overview of what a BEB is, and what makes it both similar and different from its standard transit counterparts. The course will include sections on BEB components and systems, details on its internal functions (CAN, High Voltage systems, battery packs, etc.), the management systems, and a quick glance at preventive maintenance tasks. The course will follow up with a module on some electrical fundamentals, safety features, considerations, risk and hazard assessment, PPE, and comes with demonstrations of actual technicians performing de-energization (LOTO) of a Proterra and New Flyer model bus, and concludes with the third module introducing details involved with BEB charging, including the details of current BEB charging technologies, emerging charging technologies and opportunities, electric vehicle charging standards, and common considerations in charging maintenance and charger safety precautions.
Disclaimer : This course is intended only as informal guidance on the matters addressed, and should not be relied upon as the sole method or manner for performing the tasks or work outlined in the materials.
Bus Operator Workforce Management: Practitioner’s Guide
This report, produced by the Eno Center for Transportation, International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC), and Huber & Associates, is a practitioner’s guide that provides recommendations and resources enabling transit agencies to better assess, plan, and implement their operator workforce management programs. A link to a related TRB webinar is also included.
Transit Cooperative Research Program
August 2023
Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Transportation Research Board; Transit Cooperative Research Program; Robert Puentes; Philip Plotch; Brianne Eby; Paul Lewis; Karitsa Holdzkom; Xinge Wang; Douglas Nevins; Kenyon Corbett; Melissa Huber
National Transit Workforce Development Strategic Plan 2023 to 2028
Federal Transit Administration
August 2023
TOPICS: Hiring and Recruitment , Policy and Planning , Retention , Safety and Health
The Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) first National Transit Workforce Development six-year Strategic Plan outlines goals and objectives to address workforce challenges and opportunities in the public transportation industry. The plan has six overarching goals: ensuring worker safety and health, investing in workforce development, driving workforce recruitment, ensuring worker retention, developing worker skills, and tracking success through appropriate metrics. FTA’s Transit Workforce Center led the development of this plan collaborating closely with FTA and with stakeholders across transit agencies, unions, national transit associations, the US Department of Labor, and workers. The plan will guide FTA’s activities and investments to support transit agencies as they recruit, retain, and train the diverse workforce they need today and tomorrow.
Air Quality in Transit Buses
This report provides a summary from a TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Insight Event about the air quality in transit buses, particularly since the start of the pandemic. Since then, an increased understanding of infectious disease in confined spaces and the role of droplets and particles in transmission has been increasingly important to the bus industry. At this event, senior transportation executives; representatives from federal, state, and local government; and representatives from technology, consulting, academia, and engineering to discuss opportunities and the challenges of implementing air quality control in buses.
Transportation Research Board
May 2023
TOPICS: Policy and Planning , Safety and Health
Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Transportation Research Board; Transit Cooperative Research Program; Laura Williams
Procedures for Transportation Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs: Addition of Oral Fluid Specimen Testing for Drugs
This rule amends the U.S. Department of Transportation’s regulated industry drug testing program to include oral fluid testing. This additional methodology for drug testing will give employers a choice that will help combat employee cheating on urine drug tests and provide a less intrusive means of achieving the safety goals of the program.
Department of Transportation
May 2023
Assault Awareness and Prevention for Transit Operators (Direct Delivery)
This course provides transit bus operators with knowledge and skills to reduce the likelihood of assault incidents, including defining assault and types of incidents that could be considered assault, covering prevention strategies such as communication and response skills, and emphasizing the importance of reporting assault incidents and seeking recovery assistance.
National Transit Institute
TOPICS: Safety and Health , Training
You can register for the course with the Rutgers University Noncredit Course Catalog & Registration System.
Assault Awareness and Prevention for Transit Operators (Train the Trainer)
This virtual course will provide transit agency instructional staff with the support necessary to deliver the Assault Awareness and Prevention course within their agencies. Each registered participant will receive an electronic instructor package that will include an instructor guide, course slides, instructor notes, and the participant workbook. Participants will be able to deliver the training to provide transit bus operators with knowledge and skills to reduce the likelihood of assault incidents.
National Transit Institute
January 2023
You can register for the course with the Rutgers University Noncredit Course Catalog & Registration System. The direct delivery course for operators can be found here.
Violence in the Transit Workplace – Prevention, Response and Recovery (Train the Trainer)
The goal of this course is to provide participants with knowledge and skills to deliver training to transit agency personnel on how to prevent, respond to, and recover from workplace violence. Prevention methods covered include implementing system and personal security measures, recognizing and reporting the warning signs of potentially violent behavior and using effective interpersonal skills for dealing with different, difficult and dangerous people.
National Transit Institute
You can register for the course with the Rutgers University Noncredit Course Catalog & Registration System.
Making Connections 2022 – Conference Overview and Videos
The Transit Workforce Center hosted Making Connections 2022: The National Transit Workforce Conference in Washington, D.C. on December 13-14, 2022. This conference brought together participants from urban, suburban, rural, and tribal public transportation and industry stakeholders in plenaries, workshops, networking, and ongoing dialogue. Discussions and sessions featured topics including recruitment and retention, training, mentoring and apprenticeships, new technologies, preparing today’s and tomorrow’s workforce, and advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.
Transit Workforce Center
December 2022
TOPICS: Apprenticeship , Career Pathways , Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access , Hiring and Recruitment , Labor-Management Partnerships , Making Connections Conference , Mentorship , Program Evaluation and ROI , Retention , Safety and Health , Trainer and Mentor Development , Training , Zero Emission Buses
Session materials from Making Connections 2022 are hosted on the TWC Resource Center. Please click here to view all related materials. A PDF copy of the conference schedule is linked below.
Opening Video:
Recap Video:
Making Connections 2022 – Engines to Inverters: Preparing Technicians for ZEB Deployment
This session about working with ZEB technologies was presented as part of TWC’s Making Connections 2022 transit workforce conference in December, 2022.
Transit Workforce Center
December 2022
Session Summary: As transit agencies integrate zero-emission technologies into their fleet, many are experiencing difficulties in preparing their frontline workforce to properly maintain and operate the equipment. In this workshop, panelists explored lessons learned, best practices, and available resources to upskill their technician and maintenance workforce and prepare the future frontline workers to safely and effectively work with ZEB technologies. Presentations by industry experts, early-adopters, and successful rollouts offered insight for an audience seeking guidance on first steps and follow-through.
Moderators
- James Hall: Program Manager, Technical Training – International Transportation Learning Center/Transit Workforce Center
- Lisa Jerram: Director of Bus Operations and New Vehicle Technologies – American Public Transportation Association
Speakers
- Joseph Gamez: Assistant Chief Maintenance Officer Maintenance Training – New York City Transit, Department of Buses
- Walter Kirkland: Service Manager – StarMetro Tallahassee
- Obed Mejia: Senior Bus Equipment Instructor – Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Making Connections 2022 – Designing Safety: Bus of the Future and Beyond
This session about bus operator safety was presented as part of TWC’s Making Connections 2022 transit workforce conference in December, 2022.
Transit Workforce Center
December 2022
Session Summary: In the hierarchy of health and safety protections, engineering controls are at the top. This session addressed the critical issues of operator assaults and operator safety through the lens of safety by design, with a major focus on the significant planning work that has been done to create an effective operator barrier against assault and respiratory hazards. Other advances in safety-related design, such as blind-spot elimination for protection of pedestrians, ergonomics and accessibility, were also reviewed.
Moderators
- Jack Clark: Executive Director – International Transportation Learning Center/Transit Workforce Center
Speakers
- Christy Campoll: Senior Associate – RLS & Associates Inc.
- Brian Sherlock: Safety Specialist – Amalgamated Transit Union
- Mohammed Yousuf: Director, Office of Infrastructure, Safety and Asset Innovation – Federal Transit Administration
Making Connections 2022 – Drive to Revive: Preparing Operators for ZEB Deployment
This session about working with ZEB technologies was presented as part of TWC’s Making Connections 2022 transit workforce conference in December, 2022.
Transit Workforce Center
December 2022
Session Summary: As transit agencies integrate zero-emission technologies into their fleet, many are experiencing difficulties in preparing their frontline workforce to properly maintain and operate the equipment. In this workshop, panelists explored lessons learned, best practices, and available resources to upskill their operator workforce and prepare the future frontline workers to safely and effectively work with ZEB technologies. Presentations by industry experts, early-adopters, and examination of successful rollouts offered insight for an audience seeking guidance on first steps and follow-through.
Moderator
- Maurice Beard: Technical Training Supervisor [retired] – Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Speakers
- Dinero Washington: President/Chief Executive Officer – Shreveport Transit Management (SporTran)
- Richard Gwin: Training Specialist – Sacramento Regional Transit District
- Alphonza Clements: Executive Board Member – DASH/ATU Local 689
Enhanced Transit Safety and Crime Prevention Initiative FTA Funding Sources Factsheet
To help ensure the continued safety of our nation’s public transit systems, FTA launched the Enhanced Transit Safety and Crime Prevention Initiative to provide information and resources to help transit agencies address and prevent crime on their systems and protect transit workers and riders.
Federal Transit Administration
November 2022
TOPICS: Funding Opportunities , Safety and Health
ITLC Signals Training Consortium
The International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC) organizes multiple national training consortia to develop standards-based national training courseware for frontline occupations in public transportation organizations.
In 2013, public transportation agencies and unions across the country came together to form the National Signals Maintenance Training Consortium. They were driven to create a full set of standardized national courseware to support training and apprenticeship programs for signal maintainers. Since then, over 70 signals maintenance subject matter experts from 26 member agencies and unions have worked with instructional systems designers from the ITLC to create a comprehensive training program for signal maintainers.
International Transportation Learning Center
November 2022
TOPICS: Safety and Health , Training
Electric Vehicle Maintenance Best Practices
This best practice spotlight article on electric vehicle maintenance provides recommended practices and case studies from transit agencies that have successfully implemented these vehicles into their fleets.
National RTAP, Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC), and Transit Workforce Center (TWC)
November 2022
TOPICS: Safety and Health , Training , Zero Emission Buses
Improving the Safety, Health, and Productivity of Transit Operators Through Adequate Restroom Access
This report presents a catalog of good practices, tools, and resources that provide a foundation for implementable strategies to improve restroom access, primarily for transit vehicle operators. The report compiles research from 100 transit agencies on current and best practices; the impact of restroom access on health, safety, and operations, and lessons learned.
Transit Cooperative Research Program
October 2022
TOPICS: Policy and Planning , Safety and Health
A toolbox accompanying the report includes helpful resources such as restroom inventory, planning, and cost estimation tools, as well as templates for restroom access policies and contract language.
Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Transportation Research Board; Transit Cooperative Research Program; Robin Mary Gillespie, City University of New York; RLS & Associates Robbie Sarles
Transportation Learning Network (TLN)
The Transportation Learning Network (TLN) is part of an industry-wide effort aimed at strengthening transit training programs. It is designed and maintained by the International Transportation Learning Center, and provides a platform for accessing industry specific training materials – both for direct self-led online learning and also for download by trainers to use in a classroom or field settings. Topics covered include maintenance of transit elevators and escalators, signals, railcar and traction power.
International Transportation Learning Center
September 2022
TOPICS: Apprenticeship , Safety and Health , Training
Train-the-Trainer Level 1: Adult Learning Theory and Teaching Techniques
The International Transportation Learning Center’s week-long, highly engaging train the trainer course teaches subject matter experts the skills to convey their vast knowledge to others in a classroom setting. Topics include: adult learning theory, teaching techniques and presentation skills. Participants will spend most of the week applying what they’re learning through rounds of practice teaching in a classroom, lab and field setting. They’ll also give and receive feedback from peers – one of the most important skills of a trainer!
Subsequent learning opportunities include Train-the-Trainer Level 2: Creating Courseware that Works.
International Transportation Learning Center
TOPICS: Safety and Health , Trainer and Mentor Development , Training
Train-the-Trainer Level 2: Creating Courseware that Works
This week-long, interactive course, Train the Trainer Level 2, builds on Train the Trainer Level 1 by giving experienced trainers the skills to define, design and develop an effective and engaging training course and accompanying courseware and assessments, incorporating established adult learning principles. Participants apply this new knowledge by starting to develop materials for a course of their choosing, which would ultimately be taught at their location.
International Transportation Learning Center
TOPICS: Safety and Health , Trainer and Mentor Development , Training
Traction Power Training Consortium
The International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC) organizes multiple national training consortia to develop standards-based national training courseware for frontline occupations in public transportation organizations.
The Traction Power Training Consortium was launched by the Transportation Learning Center in January 2020. Over the next four years (2020-2023), the Consortium will develop introductory and advanced instruction-ready and interactive courses on traction power maintenance that build on APTA-approved and industry-recognized training standards. Course topics will include: power distribution, industry trends, worker safety, emergency power, tools, and test equipment, catenary and third rail power distribution, grounding, utility power management.
International Transportation Learning Center
July 2022
TOPICS: Safety and Health , Training
National Transit Frontline Worker Recruitment Campaign
Across the United States, whether large, small, urban, rural, or tribal, transit agencies are facing the challenge of recruiting and retaining drivers, mechanics, and technicians who can operate and maintain the buses of our public transit systems. To help support local transit efforts, TWC is developing the #ConnectingMyCommunity national frontline worker recruitment campaign, coordinated with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and industry, labor, and community partners from around the country.
Transit Workforce Center
July 2022
Bus Driver Recruitment and Retention in Challenging Times
Transit Workforce Center
April 2022
TOPICS: Hiring and Recruitment , Retention , Safety and Health , Workforce Shortage
While the U.S. public transportation industry has long had a significant bus operator shortage, it has been magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has not only exacerbated existing trends, but also introduced new labor market dynamics. This brief describes overall workforce trends for bus operators, obstacles to recruitment, and challenges for workforce retention, to help inform efforts to recruit more drivers nationwide.
Overall workforce trends
According to 2020 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, there are 162,850 bus operators nationally. Federal government projections indicate strong growth for bus operators; BLS estimates the occupation will grow “much faster than average (15 percent or higher).”[1] To keep up with growth and make up for retirements and turnover, the industry will need to recruit scores of new workers. BLS reported an annual average of 24,600 projected bus operator job openings for 2020 to 2030.[2]
According to BLS, annual wages for the occupation were $45,900 in 2020, which was higher than the national median of $41,950.[3] Despite having a reputation for paying relatively well and providing robust benefits,[4], [5] transit agencies have faced significant challenges to recruit workers in sufficient numbers to meet the growing demand. The rise of COVID and the omicron variant have created a “labor crisis” in transit, leading Houston Metro to offer bonuses of $4,000 for new drivers, and NYC to try to lure workers out of retirement, for example.[6]
Demographic challenges
One major demographic challenge contributing to the current operator shortage is the disproportionately older bus operator workforce. As Figure 1 on the next page shows, the median age of U.S. workers was 42.2 years in 2021, and 42.8 years in transportation and warehousing. For the bus service and urban transit industry, it was 52.7, which is substantially higher than both the nationwide median age for workers and the median age for other subsectors within transportation and warehousing, such as air or rail transportation.[7] The higher median age of urban transit workers is largely attributable to the older age of bus drivers (median 53.3 years)[8], who constitute 60 percent of the workforce[9]. A large percentage of workers are expected to retire in the coming years.[10], [11]
COVID-related health and safety issues
Figure 1. 2021 Median Age of Workers for Selected Transportation Sectors
As frontline workers, bus operators risk exposure to COVID-19, and serious health consequences, even death. For example, in New York City, 136 MTA operators died around the start of the pandemic.[12] As of December 2021, more than 2,000 COVID cases have been reported among WMATA workers since the pandemic began; seven of the workers died. According to CTAA, some member agencies have experienced as many as 40 percent of their operators absent from work due to sickness.[13] COVID-related factors have resulted in bus operator shortages and service cuts,[14] a trend which has occurred in transit systems nationwide. In addition, some drivers have quit due to fears about the virus or been terminated due to failure to comply with vaccination and testing policies.[15]
Pre-existing labor market dynamics
The pandemic has also exacerbated existing workforce challenges, such as competition for pay. Stakeholders interviewed for a GAO study reported that other industries which hire workers with similar levels of education, including fast food, may attract workers instead of transit, especially in rural areas or areas with low unemployment.[16] When the economy is strong, construction also tends to attract workers who might otherwise work in transit. Furthermore, some workers leave the transit industry once they have earned their CDL.[17]
CDL and new requirements
Transit bus drivers are generally required to hold Class B Commercial Drivers’ Licenses and passenger (P) endorsements. Due to the high cost of self-funding CDL training, employer-sponsored training programs in which costs are covered, such as those run by transit agencies, are an attractive option for job seekers. However, the potential exists for trainees to pursue employment in commercial driving or another sector after completing a transit-oriented training program.[18] This dynamic is particularly challenging given concurrent shortages of truck and school bus drivers.[19]
Individuals are required to hold a standard driver’s license to qualify for a commercial learners’ permit, which in turn is needed to pursue CDL training.[20] These requirements may impact recruitment of young people, as rates of driver’s license attainment for 18–24 year-olds have decreased slightly in recent decades and may be lower during recessionary periods and among minority populations and residents of cities.[21]
Regulatory changes impacting entry level driver training (ELDT) may also affect agencies’ ability to fill positions. As of February 7, 2022, the FMCSA has started enforcing universal training standards for entry level driver training and maintaining a database of qualified providers (the Training Provider Registry).[22] Professional organizations representing transit agencies such as APTA and CTAA have expressed concern about these additional regulatory requirements. Agency contacts have also identified challenges related to requirements around license renewal, medical fitness testing, the availability of training during the pandemic and delays with local DMVs processing CDL application due to pandemic staff shortages. FMCSA has granted waivers around certain other CDL requirements during the pandemic, and recently announced a grant to support state capacity for CDL licensing, though the emphasis appears to be on commercial trucking. [23], [24]
Assaults against drivers
Driver safety has been a persistent problem. Assaults against drivers and altercations with passengers have been well-publicized in communities that transit serves.[25], [26]A 2015 Monthly Labor Review article identified violence as a key challenge facing drivers, with examples including a 2012 attack with rocks in Washington, DC and a 2013 shooting in Seattle.[27] More recently, drivers have reported increased stress during the pandemic and face threats including violence related to passenger non-compliance with mask mandates, among other issues. Such incidents have deterred potential applicants from considering a transit driving career and contributed to early retirements.[28]
Lack of interest from younger generations
Younger workers have different expectations about the workplace, which has made it challenging for agencies to recruit them. Younger workers tend to value flexible schedules, yet operators must often work on holidays and weekends, especially when they first start in the field. New hires in general may not find this attractive.[29]
Advances in technology
Advances in technology present challenges to recruitment and retention. The rise of automation and apps requires drivers to possess technical knowledge to operate newer buses and assist customers; this means there is a relatively small pool of qualified workers. Additional and new types of training are needed for both incumbent and new workers to adapt. Furthermore, drivers report feeling stress from being monitored more often by cameras and tracking technology.[30], [31]
Stress and burn-out
Finally, being a bus operator is a highly stressful occupation. Drivers must operate large vehicles on congested city streets on tight time schedules.[32] They work relatively long hours with infrequent breaks.[33] As discussed earlier, technological advances have contributed to worker stress as well. Operators also experience burn-out due to the stress of dealing with passengers, who may ignore COVID safety rules,[34] or be unruly or violent.
Conclusion
Bus operators have been in short supply for years, and this problem has been magnified by COVID-19. An aging workforce and labor exits related to COVID have largely contributed to the shortage. Top obstacles to recruitment and retention include pandemic-related health and safety issues, pre-existing labor market dynamics including competition over pay, CDL requirements, assaults against drivers, and lack of interest from younger generations. Other contributing factors include advances in technology, perceptions of inflexibility, and stress. To address these workforce recruitment and retention issues for bus operators, key stakeholders from management and labor should keep these data and trends in mind.
Bus Operator Recruitment Campaign
The Transit Workforce Center (TWC) is currently developing a national campaign in coordination with the FTA, along with key labor and industry partners, to effectively address the national bus operator shortage. The TWC is preparing to create a toolkit of materials designed to be adapted by agencies and labor union locals that will consist of templates for commercial scripts, postcard mailers, exhibit banners, talking points for public meetings, social media postings, informational video scripts, and letters of introduction. If any organization has existing models that should be incorporated into these plans, please contact Senior Communications Specialist David Stephen at dstephen@transportcenter.org.
Contributing Authors: Benjamin Kreider (Consultant); Xinge Wang; Douglas Nevins
[1] Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020. 53-3052 Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes533052.htm
[2] Bureau of Labor Statistics. Table 1.7: Occupational projections, 2020–30, and worker characteristics, 2020. https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm.
[3] Summary Report for: 53-3052.00 – Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity. O*Net Online. https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/53-3052.00?redir=53-3021.00.
[4] Shared-Use Mobility Center. “Case Study: Managing the Labor Shortage at Transit Agencies.” November 5, 2021. https://learn.sharedusemobilitycenter.org/casestudy/managing-the-labor-shortage-at-transit-agencies/.
[5] Laura Bliss. “There’s a Bus Driver Shortage. And No Wonder.” Bloomberg City Lab. June 28, 2018. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-28/there-s-a-bus-driver-shortage-and-no-wonder.
[6] Eli Rosenberg. “Labor shortages are hampering public transportation systems, challenging the recovery of city life.” Washington Post. December 28, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/12/28/worker-shortages-public-transportation/.
[7]Bureau of Labor Statistics. Table18b: Employed persons by detailed industry and age. https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat18b.htm.
[8] Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table 11b: Employed persons by detailed occupation and age, 2020. https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11b.htm.
[9] Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix. https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=485100&ioType=i.
[10] Jack Clark. Testimony before the House Transportation Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways. March 13, 2019. https://transportation.house.gov/imo/media/doc/Testimony-%20Clark.pdf.
[11] Robert Puentes et al. “Practitioner’s Guide to Bus Operator Workforce Management.” Transportation Research Board of The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. November, 2021. Unpublished interim report.
[12] Benito Perez. “After COVID, who’s driving the bus?” Transportation For America. Nov 2, 2021. https://t4america.org/2021/11/02/bus-operator-shortage/.
[13] Justin George. “Omicron deepens bus driver shortage, frustrating passengers as transit agencies pare back service.” Washington Post. January 15, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/01/15/covid-omicron-bus-transit/
[14] Justin George. “Bus operator shortage due to covid prompts Metro to reduce bus service.” Washington Post. December 23, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2021/12/23/dc-metro-bus-shortage-covid/.
[15] “MARTA Making Temporary Service Modifications to Address Bus Operator Shortage.” Metro Magazine. https://www.metro-magazine.com/10155945/marta-making-temporary-service-modifications-to-address-bus-operator-shortage. November 12, 2021.
[16] US Government Accountability Office. “Transit Workforce Development – Improved Strategic Planning Practices Could Enhance FTA Efforts.” GAO-19-2090. March 2019. https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/697562.pdf. P. 15.
[17] Puentes et al., 2021.
[18] Puentes et al., 2021. P. 37.
[19] Bliss, 2021.
[20] FMCSA. “Commercial Driver’s License: States.” December, 2019. https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/commercial-drivers-license/states
[21] Tefft, B. C. & Foss, R. D. “Prevalence and Timing of Driver Licensing Among Young Adults, United States, 2019.” October, 2019. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. https://aaafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/19-0500_AAAFTS_Teen-Driver-Safety-Week-Brief_r1.pdf
[22] FMCSA. “Commercial Driver’s License: Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT). February, 2022. https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/commercial-drivers-license/entry-level-driver-training-eldt
[23] FMCSA. “Waiver in Response to the COVID-19 National Emergency –For States, CDL Holders, CLP Holders, and Interstate Drivers.” December 15, 2020. https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency/waiver-response-covid-19-national-emergency-states-cdl-holders-clp-holders-and-1
[24] U.S. DOT. “DOT, DOL Announce Expansion of Trucking Apprenticeships, New Truck Driver Boards and Studies to Improve the Working Conditions of Truck Drivers.” January 13, 2022. https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/dot-dol-announce-expansion-trucking-apprenticeships-new-truck-driver-boards-and
[25] Puentes et al., 2021. P. 36.
[26] Luz Lazo. “Citing attacks directed at buses, Metro weighs service cuts in Anacostia.” Washington Post.
[27] Bureau of Labor Statistics. “When the wheels on the bus stop going round and round: occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities in public transportation.” 2015. https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2015/article/when-the-wheels-on-the-bus-stop-going-round-and-round.htm#_edn1..
[28] Chris Teale. “Transit workers face growing rate of assaults: ‘There’s not much we can do.’” Smart Cities Dive. February 17, 2021. https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/transit-workers-face-growing-rate-of-assaults-theres-not-much-we-can-do/594959/
[29] Puentes et al., 2021.
[30] Puentes et al., 2021.
[31] GAO, p. 16.
[32] Bliss, 2018.
[33] GAO, 2019; Puentes et al., p. 14.
[34] Justin George. “Omicron deepens bus driver shortage, frustrating passengers as transit agencies pare back service.” Washington Post. January 15, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/01/15/covid-omicron-bus-transit/.
FTA Standards Development Program: Rail Transit Roadway Worker Protection
This report reviews existing standards and best practices and develops use cases, a risk assessment matrix, and high-level concepts of operations (CONOPS) for Rail Transit Roadway Worker Protection (RWP). The project evaluates current industry practices and technologies in use for roadway worker protection and conducts a risk/hazard analysis of current practices using an industry-representative survey.
Federal Transit Administration
February 2022
TOPICS: Policy and Planning , Safety and Health
Wayside Worker Protection Technology—TrackSafe Phase II Research & Demonstration (Report 0194)
This report outlines research and demonstration of a roadway worker protection (RWP) warning technology developed by Bombardier Rail called TrackSafe. The system was installed at the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) and was designed to reduce the hazards of working within a transit rail right-of-way (ROW).
Federal Transit Administration
May 2021
TOPICS: Policy and Planning , Safety and Health
ASE Transit Bus Test Study Guide
The Official ASE Study Guide for Transit Bus Tests is designed to help technicians prepare for the ASE certification tests, which identify and recognize those Transit Bus Technicians who demonstrate knowledge of the skills necessary to diagnose, service, and repair various systems on transit buses.
Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)
January 2021
TOPICS: Safety and Health , Training , Zero Emission Buses
A Pandemic Playbook for Transportation Agencies
TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program and Transit Cooperative Research Program have jointly issued NCHRP Research Report 963/TCRP Research Report 225: A Pandemic Playbook for Transportation Agencies, which was created to improve transportation agency responses to a pandemic.
The Playbook concentrates on what needs to be done, when and by whom. It briefly addresses planning for a pandemic, a topic addressed in greater depth in NCHRP Report 769: A Guide for Public Transportation Pandemic Planning and Response. It summarizes effective practices currently used by transportation agencies based on interviews with state departments of transportation and transit agency leaders and operational personnel, supplemented with national and international research results.
National Cooperative Highway Research Program and Transit Cooperative Research Program
January 2021
TOPICS: Policy and Planning , Safety and Health , Training
Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Transportation Research Board; National Cooperative Highway Research Program; Transit Cooperative Research Program; WSP USA Solutions – Deborah Matherly; Patricia Bye; Janet Benini
Mountain Line Zero-Emission Bus Implementation Plan
This is the Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) Implementation Plan prepared by the Northern Arizona intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority (referred to as Mountain Line) in contract with the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) with the aim of identifying a zero-emission roadmap for full-scale deployment.
Center for Transportation and the Environment; AECOM
December 2020
TOPICS: Procurement , Safety and Health , Training , Zero Emission Buses
ITLC Rail Car Training Consortium
The International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC) organizes multiple national training consortia to develop standards-based national training courseware for frontline occupations in public transportation organizations.
Started in late 2015, the National Rail Car Training Consortium has moved forward with its mission to create standardized national training courseware for rail car technicians. The development team composed of over 40 rail car maintenance subject matter experts (SMEs) from 18 member agencies and unions from across the country, along with instructional systems designers from the ITLC, design curriculum and courseware for the rail and transit industry.
The attached catalog contains a summary of Consortium courseware.
International Transportation Learning Center
July 2020
TOPICS: Safety and Health , Training
Battery Electric Bus Familiarization Webinars
The International Transportation Learning Center presents three distance-based courses to help transit bus technicians gain fundamental understanding of battery electric bus (BEB) technology. These courses are recorded from live online sessions.
International Transportation Learning Center
June 2020
TOPICS: Safety and Health , Training , Zero Emission Buses
In each session, experts from various BEB manufacturers presented on specific topics, with over 400 participants attending. Each session is introduced by John Schiavone, who moderated many questions from participants. Please click through the drop-down options below to view the recorded sessions, slides and presenters’ notes, and sample tests and test answers.
Not Just an Ache: Examining the Rate of Musculoskeletal Pain in City Bus Drivers
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.
Mineta Transportation Institute
November 2018
TOPICS: Policy and Planning , Safety and Health
Tools and Strategies for Eliminating Assaults Against Transit Operators
This TCRP report documents policies, practices, and operating procedures related to preventing, mitigating, and responding to operator assaults. The varied format, scale, and implementation of policies and procedures set by transit agencies can shape mitigation approaches. Relevant skills and training required by transit operators to address this issue vary as well.
Transit Cooperative Research Program
May 2018
TOPICS: Policy and Planning , Safety and Health
Volume 1 documents the materials used to develop the report and Volume 2, the user guide, provides potential countermeasures and strategies to prevent or mitigate assaults against transit operators, including an operator assault risk management toolbox, vulnerability self-assessment tool, route-based risk calculator, as well as supportive checklists, guidelines, and methodologies.
Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Transportation Research Board; Transit Cooperative Research Program; Countermeasures Assessment and Security Experts, LLC and Transportation Resource Associates, Inc.
TCRP Research Report 199: Transit Technical Training (Volumes 1 & 2)
TCRP Research Report 199: Transit Technical Training is a two-volume set that presents guidance on technical training programs and the implementation of those for transportation agencies.
The report’s first volume, Guide to Applying Best Practices and Sharing Resources, documents the best models of technical training programs serving U.S. and international transportation agencies and related industries.
The second volume, Guide to Overcoming Barriers to Implementing Best and Innovative Training, provides public transportation agencies with best practices, strategies, and resources to assist with the implementation of effective and innovative training programs and techniques for frontline employees.
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
January 2018
TOPICS: Apprenticeship , Safety and Health , Training
Addressing Difficult Customer Situations
This report considers issues surrounding difficult customers or passengers and the variety of circumstances that can arise when they utilize transit system facilities or vehicles. It identifies current practices used by transit agencies to prevent, prepare for, and deal with these incidents, including training programs for operators and other staff.
Transit Cooperative Research Program
March 2017
TOPICS: Policy and Planning , Safety and Health , Training
Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Transportation Research Board; Transit Cooperative Research Program Synthesis Program; Synthesis Program; Transit Cooperative Research Program; Joel M. Volinski
Successful Practices and Training Initiatives to Reduce Accidents and Incidents at Transit Agencies
TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis 126: Successful Practices and Training Initiatives to Reduce Accidents and Incidents at Transit Agencies documents current practices and training initiatives, including bus operator training and retraining programs that have been effective in reducing accidents and incidents at transit agencies. The study also focuses on other system approaches that have been implemented to address safety hazards. These approaches include various technology applications, infrastructure modifications, and programs and initiatives such as driver incentive programs and close call/near miss reporting.
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) & CUTR
January 2017
TOPICS: Safety and Health , Training
Use of Automotive Service Excellence Tests Within Transit
TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis 120: Use of Automotive Service Excellence Tests Within Transit documents how the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) program is accepted and used within the transit bus maintenance community. The ASE program is nationally recognized as the standard industry credential provider for automotive professionals. The report explores how a cross section of transit bus maintenance personnel view the ASE certification program and summarizes their perspectives to improve ASE certification acceptance and participation.
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
January 2016
TOPICS: Safety and Health , Training
Preventing and Mitigating Transit Worker Assaults in the Bus and Rail Transit Industry
This report provides recommendations from state and local transportation agencies, labor unions, research organizations, and national transportation associations to address the elements of a safety management system (SMS) approach to preventing and mitigating transit worker assaults, including policy, risk management, safety promotion, and safety assurance.
Transit Advisory Committee for Safety
July 2015
TOPICS: Retention , Safety and Health
Rail Transit Track Inspection Practices
TRBs Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis 107: Rail Transit Track Inspection Practices offers information across a range of older and newer U.S. rail transit agencies on track inspection practices and policies.
Issues addressed in the report include agency staffing, agency organization and characteristics, track inspection program criteria, training and certification, procurement, and track safety practices.
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
January 2013
TOPICS: Policy and Planning , Procurement , Safety and Health , Training
Practices for Wayside Rail Transit Worker Protection
TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis 95: Practices for Wayside Rail Transit Worker Protection is designed to highlight knowledge, practice, lessons learned, and gaps in information related to wayside rail transit worker protection programs.
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
January 2012
TOPICS: Safety and Health , Training
Bus Operator Restroom Use Case Study
In collaboration with the Bus Operator National Joint Training Standards Committee, the International Transportation Learning Center developed this Bus Operator Restroom Use report, a case study and compendium of practitioner resources on restroom use, including a history of restroom use policy at Minneapolis Metro Transit. The resources in this report also include a model community restroom licensing agreement, route-specific restroom locations chart, and example collective bargaining language.
International Transportation Learning Center
January 2012
TOPICS: Retention , Safety and Health , Training
Addendum to the APTA Recommended Practice for Transit Bus Operator Training
This addendum was created by the Joint Labor Management National Bus Operator Standards Committee in Seattle, WA on October 12-14th 2011. This addendum was created to be considered for addition into the APTA RP for Transit Bus Operator Training.
Joint Labor Management National Bus Operator Standards Committee
October 2011
TOPICS: Safety and Health , Training
Practices to Protect Bus Operators from Passenger Assault: A Synthesis of Transit Practice
The TCRP Synthesis 93 highlights practices and policies implemented by transit agencies to deter and mitigate assaults on bus operators.
Transit Cooperative Research Program
January 2011
TOPICS: Retention , Safety and Health
Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Transportation Research Board; Transit Cooperative Research Program Synthesis Program; Transit Cooperative Research Program
Electrical Standards Fundamentals
A document of electrical safety standards and fundamentals. The fundamentals include Electrons, Static Electricity, and Magnetic fields. It also covers how power is transmitted to buildings through the power grid and how grounding is built into delivery systems. This resource is intended only to provide an overview of fundamental principles – please see Terms & Conditions.
International Transportation Learning Center
January 2010
TOPICS: Safety and Health , Trainer and Mentor Development , Training
Signals Training Standards Curriculum Map
A curriculum map of the Signals Training Standards released on January 22, 2008.
International Transportation Learning Center
January 2008
TOPICS: Safety and Health , Trainer and Mentor Development , Training
APTA Recommended Practice for Transit Bus Operator Training
This recommended practice provides guidance for standardized transit operator training to assist in the development of professional bus operators resulting in quality service. Individual operating agencies can modify these guidelines to accommodate their specific training goals and operating modes.
American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
May 2007
TOPICS: Safety and Health , Trainer and Mentor Development , Training
Electrified Transportation Pro+ Training and Certification Program
The objective of the Electrified Transportation Pro+ program is to ensure that all individuals across all transportation industries are trained in Electrified Vehicle Systems and Technologies consistently to one standard. The training is completed in preparation to perform the practical and written exams for earning the corresponding Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 Certifications.
Electrified Transportation Pro+
TOPICS: Safety and Health , Training , Zero Emission Buses
Transit Bus Certification Tests
This Test Series identifies and recognizes Transit Bus Technicians who demonstrate knowledge of the skills necessary to diagnose, service, and repair various systems on transit buses. Technicians can use the Official ASE Study Guide for Transit Bus Tests to prepare.
Automotive Service Excellence
TOPICS: Safety and Health , Training , Zero Emission Buses
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Joint Workforce Investment Program
This case study examines the Joint Workforce Investment (JWI), established in 2006, which is a joint labor management partnership between the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 (ATU). It includes discussion of three primary programs brought together under the JWI initiative: the Maintenance Career Ladders Training Project (MCLTP), New Operator/Mentor Pilot Project, and Health and Wellness Project.