Quick-Response Research on Long-Term Strategic Issues. Task 53. Optimizing Work Schedules for Transit Frontline Workers

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the frontline worker shortage, particularly for operators at public transit agencies. In response, agencies have modified recruitment, hiring, and training processes to attract more candidates, while also focusing on strengthening agency culture, boosting morale, and improving working conditions to retain staff. Although agencies are adjusting practices, rigid work schedules remain a major barrier that hinder workforce retention across the transit industry, limiting agencies’ ability to support employees in balancing operational demands with personal responsibilities. The APTA Transit Workforce Shortage Report (2023) highlighted undesirable work schedules as a top reason frontline transit workers resigned from transit agencies. The report found that adjusting work schedules is more difficult than altering pay structures, and that altering compensation alone may not be a sufficient means to reduce employee turnover. To further address the problem, TCRP Project J-07/Topic SA-64, “Transit Scheduling and Dispatch Practice that Increase Operator Quality of Life” is identifying current strategies, practices, and outcomes of transit agency efforts to attract and retain operators through changes to schedule design and assignment. While the previously cited studies identify scheduling solutions to address the transit operator shortage problem, there remains a broad and pressing industry-wide need to explore how changes to work schedules can help improve recruitment and retention of frontline transit workers. The objective of research is to explore and identify what gaps remain, barriers to adopting more work-centric scheduling, and how pilot or emerging business practices (planning, scheduling, allocation of the work, and labor agreements) affect staffing outcomes. The factors that can potentially improve transit operator job satisfaction by favorable work schedules resulting in enhanced quality of life and potentially increased hiring and retention rates shall be explored.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5832
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $150,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project J-11, Task 53

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Transit Cooperative Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC    20001

  Federal Transit Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Schoby, Jamaal

• Start Date: 20251001
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Hours of labor; Personnel retention; Public transit; Recruiting; Schedules; Transit operators; Transit personnel
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01937969
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project J-11, Task 53
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Nov 26 2024 6:29AM