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

Explore EARN’s  “Accessible Interviews” training to learn how to create an interview process that is both accessible and effective for candidates with disabilities. This short course is designed to complement and expand upon the information in EARN’s Inclusion@Work Framework, which offers guidance on creating a disability-inclusive workplace culture.

Link to Training

People with disabilities are experiencing record employment rates. In 2023, the employment rate for working-age people with disabilities was the highest on record at 37.2%. This U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) toolkit provides strategies and best practices to recruit, hire, retain, and advance workers with disabilities. The toolkit provides a menu of strategies and practical advice, and shares examples and resources from government agencies and other entities.

The toolkit is organized into the following sections:

• Defining disability
• Planning to include disabled workers
• Recruiting and Hiring Disabled Workers
• Retaining and Supporting Disabled Workers
• Advancing Disabled Workers

Link to Toolkit

Administering Organization: Department of Labor Women’s Bureau

Posted Date: Apr 11, 2025

Closing Date for Applications: Jun 10, 2025

Estimated Total Program Funding: $1,000,000

Geographic Scope: National

Eligible Applicants: Nonprofit Organizations

This program will empower award recipients to undertake projects that assist marginalized and underserved women workers who have been impacted by gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) in the work world. GBVH is pervasive across industries and deeply impacts the safety and economic security of women workers and survivors. Grant recipients will address GBVH by building awareness, connecting women to federal and state workplace rights and benefits, and implementing worker- and survivor-driven strategies to shift workplace norms.

Link to Grant Information Page

NCIL maintains a map of US CILs on their website. CILs can be a great partner in connecting people with disabilities to transit jobs. CILs are advocacy organizations run by and for people with disabilities in local communities. CILs provide peer support, independent living skills training, information and referral, individual and systems advocacy, and transition from institutions and secondary education. Use the link below to find the nearest your nearest CIL.

Link to Map

Transit agencies will necessarily incur expenses in efforts to improve the recruitment, retention, and morale of employees, but will struggle to solicit adequate funding unless they are able to demonstrate the value of such efforts to a broader audience. Thus, developing and implementing ROI assessments is critical. The literature review, survey, and follow-up interviews conducted by the MTI research team found that program outcome measures and programmatic expense data required for ROI is similar across employee development programs but is not currently being uniformly collected across agencies. The research findings demonstrate the need for technical assistance to combat data collection challenges such as staff capacity and know-how.

Link to Full Report Link to Abstract

This online training is designed for staff who perform the role of dispatcher and/or scheduler in a rural, small urban, or tribal transit agency. New dispatchers and schedulers can use this training to learn the major components of their roles. Seasoned dispatchers and schedulers can also use the training for refreshing their skills.

The entire eLearning course takes approximately 4 hours and covers the topics listed below:

• Working in a Transit Environment
• Transit Service Types
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Essential Communication Skills
• Customer Service
• Role of the Dispatcher
• Role of the Scheduler
• Use of Technology
• Working as a Transit Team
• Responding to Transit Incidents

Link to eLearning Course