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Session Description: Strong partnerships between transit and local colleges across the country currently support recruitment, retention, apprenticeships and other career advancement initiatives developed by agencies and their workforce partners. Presenters in this session reviewed and discussed several different models of industry-education partnerships, focusing on how to establish productive working relationships with local colleges to advance workforce development goals.

Moderator:

• Patricia Greenfield: Senior Director, Workforce Education – International Transportation Learning Center / Transit Workforce Center

Speakers:

• Jamaine “G” Gibson: Director of Apprenticeships and Workforce Development – Amalgamated Transit Union
• Jason Abbott: Executive Director, Workforce Operations – Cuyahoga Community College
• Celeste Chavis: Interim Chair and Professor, Transportation & Urban Infrastructure Studies – Morgan State University (Baltimore)
• Rich Diaz: Workforce Development Coordinator – Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1575
• Rob Gamble: Sr Workforce and Academic Strategist – California Transit Works!

MC24 College Connection slides

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Session Description: Employment in public transportation is affected by broad economic and demographic dynamics, but honing in on transit workforce trends can be challenging. The Transit Workforce Center created the Transit Workforce Data Dashboard to distill relevant data points from national datasets. In this session, TWC highlighted specific employment patterns and challenges in transit-related occupations and panelists covered research and trends in national and agency-level datasets.

Moderator: 

• Michaela Boneva: Research Associate – International Transportation Learning Center / Transit Workforce Center

Speakers:

• Nick Biggar: District Director – Greater Cleveland RTA
• Valerie Campo: Mentor Program Coordinator – Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit
• Douglas Nevins: Senior Researcher – International Transportation Learning Center / Transit Workforce Center
• Darnell Morris: Vice President – ATU Local 268, Greater Cleveland RTA
• Dr. Shanta Hejmadi: Senior Data Scientist– Metro Transit (MN)

MC24 Tracking Your Impact slides

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Session Description: Apprenticeship programs are rapidly expanding at transit locations across the country. With quality training tied to clearly-identified career ladders and advancement, these programs are commonly regarded as the “gold standard” of workforce development. Documented benefits include increased retention, reductions in absenteeism, and the creation of a sustainable talent pipeline. These programs also result in better employee morale and a more engaged workforce. In this session, presenters walked through the essential steps to developing, registering, and implementing an apprenticeship program. Attendees heard from and engaged with transit labor and management about their joint programs including bus maintenance, traction power, HVAC/facilities, and signals/communications—and explore how to locate and access resources to support new and existing programs.

Moderator: 

• Brian J. Turner: Founding Director – International Transportation Learning Center

Speakers:

• Michelle Allison: General Manager – King County Metro (WA)
• Maurice Beard: Senior Workforce Development Advisor –
• Norman Blessant: Financial Secretary/Treasurer – Amalgamated Transit Union Local 381 (UT)
• Rod Dunn: President – Amalgamated Transit Union Local 382 (UT)
• Brandee Gross: Program Manager, Workforce Development – Maryland Department of Transportation
• Dimas Koral-Arocho: Program Manager – King County Metro (WA)
• Stephanie Lewis: Workforce Development Project Manager – Center for Urban Transportation Research
• Kylee Parker: Shop Steward/Joint Apprenticeship Committee Chairman – Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1300 (MD)
• Jeff Stambaugh: Vice President – Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587 (WA)
• Greg Woodfill: President – Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587 (WA)

MC24 Apprenticeship 101 slides

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Session Description: An Increasing number of transit agencies across the country have begun mentorship programs to support the frontline workforce and facilitate the sharing of knowledge and skills from experienced workers to new employees. These programs offer many benefits, including improved rates of retention and absenteeism, stronger relationships between the workforce and management, and better employee morale. During this session, attendees learned how transit agencies are incorporating innovative models to tap into the full potential of mentorship programs. Panelists described the positive changes that have resulted from mentorship programs and how they are incorporating new and innovative applications and approaches to multiply these benefits.

Moderator: 

• George Fields: Deputy General Manager, Human Resources – Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

Speakers:

• Ida Marshall: Senior Talent Acquisition Manager – Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
• Wendy V. Talley: Director, Training & Employee Development – Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
• Reginald Howard: President – Amalgamated Transit Union Local 788 (St. Louis)
• Trenise Winters: Assistant Executive Director – Bi-State Development/Metro Transit (St. Louis)
• Maurice Beard: Sr. Workforce Development Advisor – International Transportation Learning Center / Transit Workforce Center
• Karitsa Holdzkom: Senior Policy Analyst – International Transportation Learning Center / Transit Workforce Center

MC24 Innovative Mentoring Models

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Session Description: Are you looking to establish a program that increases retention, provides an edge in recruitment, and advances a positive and collaborative organizational culture? Well-organized mentorship programs with carefully-selected and trained mentors provide documented benefits for frontline workers and the organization as a whole. Check out this intensive full-day workshop to explore how to:

• Initiative, develop, manage, and maintain a strong mentorship program
• Establish a collaborative structure and culture that runs and maintains that program
• Select and train effective mentors
• Explore occupation-specific approaches, challenges, and systems
• Track metrics that measure progress and success

Throughout this full-day intensive, attendees engaged with experienced instructors, facilitators, and peers to:

• Review the foundational elements of transit-based mentorship programs
• Experience TWC’s mentor training program, including: a review of mentor roles; an introduction to varied learning styles; an exploration of diversity, equity, access, and inclusion in mentoring; and an examination of communications and problem-solving skills

Moderators: 

• Maurice Beard: Senior Workforce Development Advisor – International Transportation Learning Center / Transit Workforce Center
• Karitsa Holdzkom: Senior Policy Analyst – International Transportation Learning Center / Transit Workforce Center

Speakers:

• Stu Bass: Principal – Progress Worx; Founding Director – Keystone Development Partnership
• Nick Biggar: District Director – Greater Cleveland RTA
• Valerie Campo: Mentor Program Coordinator – Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit
• Lee Estis: Mentor Program Coordinator – Metropolitan Council-Metro Transit (MN)
• Jamaine “G” Gibson: Director of Apprenticeships and Workforce Development – Amalgamated Transit Union
• Steve Jovel: Operations Manager, Workforce Development – Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
• Vanessa L’Esperance: Apprenticeship Program Coordinator – Metro Transit/ATU Local 1005 (MN)
• Dionna McCane: ATU Mentorship and Apprenticeship Coordinator – IndyGo
• Darnell Morris: Vice President – ATU Local 268, Greater Cleveland RTA
• Harpreet Singh: JWI Co-Director – Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority

MC24 Making Mentoring Matter slides

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Session Description: This intensive full-day session, an abbreviated version of TWC’s popular 5-day Train-the-Trainer Level 1 course, provided both new and experienced trainers with new tools to increase engagement, application, and retention. Participants added to their knowledge, skills, and confidence to fully engage learners and effectively facilitate a variety of instructor-led training programs. Topics included adult learning theory, teaching techniques, and instructional elements that really work! Participants also had the opportunity to observe and critique a teaching demonstration — learning what does and what does not contribute to impactful learning.

Check out experienced instructors and your trainer-peers from across the industry to explore the following topics:

• How do adults learn, and what does adult learning theory tell us that we can use in our training?
• What are the key instructional elements of successful classroom and hands-on training?
• What are lesson plans, and how are they developed?
• Which teaching techniques help strengthen classes and instructional presentations?

Speakers:

• Frank Burnett: Training Specialist – International Transportation Learning Center / Transit Workforce Center
• Julie Deibel-Pundt: Program Director, Instructional Design – International Transportation Learning Center / Transit Workforce Center
• Marina Budeyeva: Instructional Designer – International Transportation Learning Center / Transit Workforce Center
• Jessica Supervielle: Instructional Designer – International Transportation Learning Center / Transit Workforce Center

MC24 TtT Bootcamp slides

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In rural communities, widely dispersed populations face a multitude of access challenges. Faced with a declining talent pool, lower educational attainment, and rising poverty rates caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need to prepare young people in rural areas for high-demand careers.

As part of the Implementing Workforce Programs for Rural Youth series, this webinar, hosted by the Office of Apprenticeship, focused on best practices and creative solutions for increasing pre-apprenticeship and youth apprenticeship access, enrollment, retention, and program completion for young people in rural areas. Featured youth apprenticeship intermediaries and partners shared their accomplishments in developing youth apprenticeship opportunities in rural areas, establishing networks of support, and best utilizing available resources to ensure pre-and youth apprenticeship success.

MODERATOR(S)

• Maisha Meminger, Manpower Analyst , Division of Youth Services, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration

PRESENTER(S)

• Vanessa Bennett, Associate Director, Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning, Jobs for the Future
• Zach Boren Senior Policy Program Manager, Urban Institute
• Bhavani Arabandi, Senior Research Associate, Urban Institute
• Jacqueline Rayfield, Policy Analyst, Urban Institute

Link to Webinar Recording and Supplemental Documents

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The goal of this research is to provide transit industry executives and transportation professionals with awareness of the many tools that are available to help attract more qualified candidates to the transit industry, as well as ways to advance the development
of the transit workforce. This research highlights social media recruiting; online hiring platform improvements; and partnerships with career centers, universities, and recruitment centers to attract new employees to the transit workforce. In addition, increases in pay, benefits, bonuses, providing flexible schedule options, and some other atypical ideas have successfully been used to retain workers in the transit workforce. This research focuses on ways in which all transit stakeholders can invest in all aspects of industry workforce development to ensure qualified employees choose the transit industry and that they are subsequently trained to be the most beneficial assets to the organization and remain there via effective retention strategies.

Link to Full Report

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Shifting demographics in the U.S. workforce indicate that businesses are probably going to need to recruit, train, and retain older workers to ensure their companies remain competitive. However, workplace surveys indicate that most firms are currently not prepared to find and welcome workers who are 50 years of age or older.

Fortunately, a broad array of evidence-based hiring and talent development strategies are at the ready for U.S. employers. These strategies draw from a recent and comprehensive review of employer practices and their influence on economic security and mobility for U.S. workers who experience structural disadvantages and exclusion from opportunity in the labor market.

Three key connected takeaways for employers to consider as they plan for ways to leverage this segment of the workforce are as follows:

• Engage directly with older employees in developing their digital skills.

• Seek out the social networks in which older workers operate to find the best recruiting matches.

• Lean into current or former employees and their online connections to identify these social networks.

Recruiting and Retaining Older Workers

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Driving trucks and buses is a physically demanding occupation that carries one of the highest injury rates of major occupational categories in the United States. Drivers often work in postures that increase risk of low back pain and other musculoskeletal disorders, slow their response time, and put them at increased risk for acute injuries due to crashes.

TCRP Research Report 247: Assessing Lifecycle and Human Costs of Bus Operator Workstation Design and Components, from TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program, creates an easy-to-use toolkit for predicting the long-term safety of and promoting a healthy environment in bus operator workstations.

Assessing Lifestyle and Human Costs of Bus Operators

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This webinar accompanies TWC’s childcare services case study.

TWC Presentation Intro Slides Prairie Hills Child Care Center Presentation Slides Women in Non-Traditional Titles Approaches to Childcare Support in the Transit Industry Recording

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This toolkit provides guidance on strategies and best practices for recruiting and retaining women in construction, manufacturing, and clean energy jobs. The strategies describe how to make the intentional choice to build a diverse workforce, create targeted recruitment, address barriers of entry, and retain a diverse workforce.

Tools For Building An Equitable Infrastructure Workforce

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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

Bus Operator Workforce Management: Practitioner’s Guide Related TRB Webinar

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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.

National Transit Workforce Development Strategic Plan 2023 to 2028

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In the transportation industry, individuals with disabilities should comprise part of a diverse workforce and can be included in recruitment and retention initiatives. “Opening Doors: Including People with Disabilities in the Transit Workforce” offers an overview of strategies and is one of the feature articles in the July-August 2023 edition (Issue 346) of TR News, TRB’s magazine.

Authors: Judy Shanley (National Center for Mobility Management), Shayna Gleason (Transit Workforce Center), and Patricia Greenfield (Transit Workforce Center)

TR News 346: Opening Doors: Including People with Disabilities in the Transit Workforce

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This fact sheet provides overviews of four of the country’s most robust bus operator mentoring programs and preliminary data on the success of these programs (as of Spring 2023). Operator mentorship programs pair seasoned bus operators with new ones for technical skill instruction and/or individualized coaching and support to help mentees be successful in their new positions. They leverage institutional knowledge and incumbent workers’ expertise to improve training and support for new workers. The Mentoring Fact Sheet provides insight into the role mentorship programs can play in improving retention rates of workers, decrease unexcused absences, reduce rates of recorded violations, and lower complaints.

Transit Mentorship Metrics

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An October 2022 survey conducted by APTA revealed that 96 percent of transit agencies of all sizes are experiencing workforce challenges, and 84 percent said these shortages are impacting their ability to provide service. APTA developed these mini-guides building on their 2021 Transit Workforce Readiness Guide and combining industry insights and stories, case studies, lessons learned, and best practices.

Workforce Mini-Guides

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Webinar agenda and presenters

1. Bus operator training and retention – Xinge Wang, International Transportation Learning Center
2. Lessons from Florida – Trish Collins, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority
3. Lessons from the Midwest – George F. Fields, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
4. Question and answer session moderated by Robert Puentes, Eno Center for Transportation

Bus Operators—New Strategies for Maintaining the Workforce

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APTA’s Transit Workforce Shortage Study combines information from a survey of public transit workers and interviews with public transportation agencies to provide insight into ways to address the national shortage of transit workers. The report provides information on actions agencies have taken to address the workforce shortage, and the toolkit provides step-by-step answers to workforce shortage scenarios agencies are facing every day.

This report builds on findings from the first interim report.

Transit Workforce Shortage: Synthesis Report and Toolkit

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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 Conference Schedule

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Session Summary: A headline issue confronting all transit systems today – how to attract and retain bus operators in a tight labor market. This lively session began with presentations from the TCRP F-28 research team and TransitCenter on their recently published national research findings on recruiting, developing and retaining transit bus operators.  Labor and management industry practitioners from multiple locations then shared their recruitment approaches and strategies that have been most effective on the ground, and TWC staff summarized the National Transit Frontline Worker Recruitment Campaign.

Moderator

• Rob Puentes: President and CEO – The Eno Center for Transportation

Speakers

• Julia Castillo: Executive Director – Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency
• James Duff: Assistant Vice President, Human Resources – Dallas Area Rapid Transit
• Jeff Hazen: Executive Director – Sunset Empire Transportation District
• Steve Jovel: Transportation Superintendent – Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
• Robin Phillips: Executive Director – National Rural Transit Assistance Program
• Harpreet Singh: JWI Director – Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265
• David Stephen: Senior Communications Specialist – International Transportation Learning Center/Transit Workforce Center
• Chris Van Eyken: Program Manager – TransitCenter

Driving Bus Operator Recruitment and Retention Session Slides ISU Returning Citizens Presentation Slides

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Session Summary: This workshop covered the basic building blocks of program design. Participants evaluated the pieces needed to develop a robust program that enables trainers to link good program design to effective classroom and on-the-job learning. This workshop was relevant to those looking to build new programs or refine current programs.

Moderator

• Grant Young: Instructional Systems Design Consultant – International Transportation Learning Center/Transit Workforce Center

Speakers

• Mike Glaeser: Manager, Bus Maintenance Training – Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
• Colleen May: Senior Director of Training – Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
• Danielle Wallace: Apprenticeship and Pathways Manager – King County Metro Transit

Designing an Impactful Training Program Session Slides

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Feedback collected during this session and in subsequent engagements informed the development of FTA’s National Transit Workforce Development Strategic Plan 2023 to 2028, which has since been released.

Speakers

• Mary Leary: Acting Associate Administrator for Research, Demonstration and Innovation – Federal Transit Administration

This handout was shared with participants in a feedback session held during TWC’s Making Connections 2022 transit workforce conference in December, 2022.

FTA Workforce Development National Plan Handout

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Session Summary:  This session explored how transit agencies can use structured mentoring programs and mentor training as an effective approach to deal with the challenges of recruiting, supporting, training, and retaining drivers and technicians. Current and former mentors and mentor program coordinators from labor and management discussed the fundamentals of mentoring, the mentoring process and its impact on employees and agencies, along with the varied ways mentoring can and should be an integral part of any training or apprenticeship program.

Moderator

• Stu Bass: Principal – Progress Worx; Founding Director – Keystone Development Partnership

Speakers

• Raul “Kiko” Diaz: Senior Assistant Business Manager – San Diego Metropolitan Transit System/IBEW Local 465
• Rich Hibbs: Co-Director – California Transit Works
• Dionna McCane: Mentorship and Apprenticeship Coordinator – IndyGo
• Ibrahim Ouattara: Workforce Development Manager – IndyGo
• Troy Thornton: Mentor/Bus Operator – Golden Gate Transit/Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1575

Mentoring Session Slides

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This blog post considers steps taken by transit agencies in New York City and San Diego in order to bolster and maintain their frontline workforces in the aftermath of the pandemic and years of labor shortages in the transit industry. The post describes actions like increasing wages, easing CDL requirements, and increasing recruitment efforts.

How to Maintain a Frontline Workforce in 2022

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Public transit providers across North America face a shortage of operators and mechanics during a period of economic instability and reshuffling exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, agencies’ ability to respond to the worker shortage has been hampered by inadequate information about its causes and effects. The Transit Workforce Shortage Study builds a framework for APTA, its members, and its partner organizations to better understand the workforce shortage’s causes and provides best practices for recruiting, hiring, and retaining transit operations workers. The study is comprised of two phases. This document, the Interim Findings Report, synthesizes the findings from Phase 1, which included a survey of transit agencies and background research into the macro causes of the shortage.

This report was followed by a full synthesis report and toolkit.

Transit Workforce Shortage: Root Causes, Potential Solutions, and the Road Ahead

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State departments of transportation are responsible for providing a safe, efficient, and effective transportation system of infrastructure and services. To meet these responsibilities, transportation agencies need a highly skilled workforce with the expertise required to identify and address current transportation needs while also being prepared to address the challenges of the future.

Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Transportation Research Board; National Cooperative Highway Research Program; Candace Blair Cronin; Allison Alexander; Grace Arnold; Juan Carlos Batarse; Kelly Dray; Sasha Iliev; Jessica Jenkins; Erik Smallwood; Rachel Smart; Jake Streng; Mara Campbell; Susan Gallagher; Tyler Reeb; Tom O’Brien; Glenn McRae

Attracting, Retaining, and Developing the 2030 Transportation Workforce

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This resource also includes a link to a webinar hosted in July, 2022 presenting information from the report and slides from the webinar.

Bus Operators in Crisis Webinar Slides Webinar: Operators in Crisis: How Did We Get Here? Bus Operators in Crisis Report

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This is the third in the Transit Workforce Center’s webinar series on strategic workforce development planning in transit. Labor and management leaders from across the country discussed the impact of mentorship programs in their agencies.

Mentor programs provide a powerful and effective tool for workforce development and retention. For maintenance occupations, mentors deliver hands-on training support, putting skills in diverse workplace contexts beyond the classroom. For bus operators, mentors provide guidance that addresses real world situations, building and expanding on basic training and creating ongoing support for each new operator. In every transit agency across all occupations, seasoned employees have stores of knowledge waiting to be shared. Without mentorship, this knowledge can be lost when workers retire or move on. A well-structured mentorship program, designed in partnership with the workers, ensure this expertise is passed on. Strong mentorship programs also provide mentors with leadership opportunities and mentees with the skills and confidence they need to succeed, increasing expertise and morale throughout the organization.

Linked below are a video recording of the webinar, the associated slides, and a webpage where all past TWC webinars are available.

Strategic Workforce Planning in Transit: Fundamentals of Mentoring Presentation Slides All TWC Webinars

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Linked below are a video recording of the webinar, the associated slides, and a webpage where all past TWC webinars are available.

Strategic Workforce Planning in Transit Presentation Slides All TWC Webinars

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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.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/citing-attacks-directed-at-buses-metro-weighs-service-cuts-in-anacostia/2012/10/28/3afd6fec-1d29-11e2-9cd5-b55c38388962_story.html.  October 28, 2012.

[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/.

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Speakers:

• Christy Veeder, PhD, National Program Director, Jobs to Move America
• Brianne Eby, Senior Policy Analyst, Eno Center for Transportation

Bus Electrification: The Role Agencies Can Play in Workforce Equity

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The case studies were developed through on-site visits to the program locations; interviews with program staff, partners, and current and former participants; and a review of program materials and data. They provide information and insights related to partnership development, program design, and outcomes that outline how pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs can help women access family-sustaining jobs and quality career pathways. The guide identifies common strategies across the four programs to help others learn how to create programs that successfully open pathways to in-demand jobs for women through apprenticeships.

Advancing Opportunities for Women through Apprenticeship

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The webinar draws on research from TCRP Synthesis 147: Attracting, Retaining, and Advancing Women in Transit.

Women Fare in the Transit Industry

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Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Transportation Research Board; Transit Cooperative Research Program; ICF Allison Alexander

Attracting, Retaining, and Advancing Women in Transit

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This toolkit is premised on the understanding that transit agencies have little knowledge of and tools for recruiting and assessing new female entrants to the workforce and promoting incumbent workers for skilled trade jobs in rail and transit. It also recognizes that women themselves have little information about the entry routes, requirements and benefits of jobs in these fields and without targeted and concerted effort from either the companies, agencies, unions, workforce development system, and educational institutions, most women will continue to be steered towards traditional female careers.

The resources in this toolkit will support the recruitment, training, and retention of women in nontraditional apprenticeship and jobs in the rail and transit sector. The toolkit can be used by program planners, managers, and frontline staff conducting outreach and assessment and training, to ensure that each stage of the employment process—from recruitment through retention—looks at how the workplace environment can be responsive to women of many backgrounds and how systems can be created or improved to address the barriers women face.

Moving Forward

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Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Transportation Research Board; Transit Cooperative Research Program; Ken Mall; June Sekera; the Transportation Learning Center and Transit Resource Center

Maintenance Technician Staffing Levels for Modern Public Transit Fleets

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Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Transportation Research Board; Transit Cooperative Research Program; Robin Mary Gillespie; Xinge Wang; Tia Brown

Developing Best-Practice Guidelines for Improving Bus Operator Health and Retention TCRP Report 169 Presentation TCRP Report 169 Worksheet

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Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Transportation Research Board; Transit Cooperative Research Program Synthesis Program; Transit Cooperative Research Program

Practices to Protect Bus Operators from Passenger Assault: A Synthesis of Transit Practice

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Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Transportation Research Board; Transit Cooperative Research Program

Guidebook Report

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Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Transportation Research Board; Committee on Future Surface Transportation Agency Human Resource Needs: Strategies for Recruiting, Training, and Retaining Personnel

The Workforce Challenge