CHAPTER 7
Bus Operator Safety, Health, and Working Conditions
Promoting health and safety and providing a generally agreeable work environment is important to maintaining a bus operator’s sense of comfort and belonging at a transit agency, and thus to retention. This can be accomplished by providing reliable access to basic resources like restrooms and health programs as well as maintaining a state of good repair on vehicles and promoting a general culture of safety within the organization. Other efforts, like providing mentorship programs, incentives, and other motivational programs, are also important means for improving retention.
Operating a bus can be physically and emotionally taxing work. Bus operators are affected by long working hours; the sedentary nature of the job; minimal extended interaction with people; extended periods of focus on driving, sometimes in unsafe conditions; uncomfortable seats; and hostile passengers.166 These factors can create unsafe conditions for bus operators and passengers alike and can lead to poor individual health outcomes for bus operators. If unaddressed, safety and health concerns can affect the workplace by leading to excessive absenteeism, increased health care costs, or operational problems and delays, among other stressors.167 According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 5,800 bus drivers (of around 570,000 total) had to take time off from work due to injury or illness sustained on the job in 2013.168
Understanding the safety and health concerns of the workforce and taking measures to mitigate those concerns is a critical responsibility of employers. A healthy and safe workforce can reduce employer costs associated with providing health and wellness programs and training new workers in the event of a turnover. Bus operator well-being can also affect certain aspects of operations like customer service quality and service performance.169 Transit agencies use several approaches to prevent issues, maintain wellness, and intervene in cases of poor outcomes.
Health and wellness, safety (i.e., assaults and crashes), working environment, and restroom access are the most cited concerns for operator health and working environment.
7.1 Themes
Operator Health and Wellness
Bus operators face several mental and physical health concerns related to the job. Common diseases exacerbated by the job include cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and musculoskeletal disorders.170 Contributing factors that affect these conditions include the sedentary nature of the job, poor ergonomics, exposure to tailpipe exhaust, and reduced opportunity to eat healthily.171
Among transit agencies that responded to a 2014 survey about transit operator health and wellness programs, over half indicated that they had an active health and wellness program
for bus operators, with disease management listed as the most common type.172 Additionally, only about a third of the smaller transit agencies surveyed in that study had health and wellness programs.173 The most common program components included were educational messages and information, followed by classes and events.174 Most transit agencies incorporated similar content and related activities in the programs. Almost 80 percent of the transit agencies surveyed included activities focused on weight management and nutrition. Many also implemented activities for smoking or tobacco product cessation and stress management. Less common content areas were safety, medical self-care and medication management, and responsible alcohol use.175
Although the transit agencies surveyed in the 2014 research were hesitant to point to measurable outcomes in the health and well-being of bus operators as a direct result of the health and wellness programs, these programs often influence transit agency safety policies. About one-third of respondents in that study believed that policies for safety, attendance, and employee conduct have the capacity to influence other areas beyond health promotion, particularly relating to safety rules and training.176
Many of the transit agencies included as case studies in this guidebook indicated that they have health and wellness programs. For example,
- DART has a robust health and wellness program. Perhaps the most notable aspect of the wellness program at DART is that it allows participating employees to earn points for their healthy habits and efforts, like routine physical exams, participating in a heart walk, joining a gym, and obtaining a flu shot. At the end of the year, the points are converted to cash with an annual $350 maximum payment per year.
- PSTA offers walking and weight loss challenges and prizes throughout the year. PSTA also provides an on-site gym available for free to employees. Quarterly reports from the health insurance provider are used to select topics and activities for PSTA to focus on. This also helps to keep insurance costs low.
Unions also adopt a number of approaches to support operator health and wellness, including proposing health and wellness provisions during collective bargaining, encouraging participation in health and wellness programs through joint labor–management documents, participating in health and wellness promotion activities, and communicating support for programs to members.177 In the 2014 survey, responses indicated that unions supported health and wellness programs more than management.178 On the other hand, according to stakeholder interviews, rural transit agencies generally have smaller unions or the employees are not unionized. As a result, these transit agencies lack the addition of union influence that larger, urban transit agencies benefit from with regard to health and safety.
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a unique strain on bus operators. While all transit modes lost ridership amid the pandemic, the ridership losses were much smaller for fixed-route and demand response bus services than for rail.179 Bus operators are often in close physical proximity and contact with passengers, and many transit agencies struggled to procure enough personal protective equipment for their bus operators amid reduced operating budgets.180 Although the United States does not report by occupation how many people have been infected and died from the virus, data from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health indicate that bus and tram drivers had an increased risk of infection. From February to July 2020, the general Norwegian working population had a rate of infection of 2.3 per 1,000 individuals. Among taxi drivers, bus drivers, and tram drivers, the rate was more than double at 5.5 cases per 1,000 individuals.181 Buses typically do have good ventilation, and transit agencies have invested more in air purification to limit the spread of COVID and other infectious diseases. Two focus group participants also indicated that their transit agency blocked off seats behind the bus operator, at least in the early days of the pandemic, to help create distance from passengers.
Operator Assaults and Crashes
Injuries sustained by bus operators, whether by assault or collision, have risen in recent years. The National Transit Database collects report forms documenting the incidence of safety and security events. Figure 10 identifies the number of injuries to bus operators (including motorbus, BRT, and commuter bus modes) reported to the National Transit Database from 2010 to 2019. This data includes and is representative of injuries resulting in an operator being transported away for medical attention from the scene. It is important to note that the data reported to the National Transit Database regarding incidents categorized as injuries do not reflect all assaults, such as those that involve verbal assault, harassment, or spitting.
Bus operator assault is one of the biggest safety concerns in the work environment for bus operators. The Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have both indicated that there is an increased risk for violence among workers that interact frequently and directly with the public, have mobile workplaces, and handle money.182 Interacting with passengers can be challenging, especially with passengers who have mental illnesses or violent tendencies, so bus operators must have support.
Additionally, when assaults lead to injuries to bus operators, the majority of cases result in traumatic injuries or disorders to the worker.183 However, in a 2016 member survey conducted by ATU, 70 percent of respondents indicated that many operator assaults go unreported because bus operators believe that nothing will be done about the assault.184
Beyond physical effects, bus operators can also experience adverse psychological effects. Negative and sometimes violent interactions with passengers have been linked to adverse psychological effects on bus operators, including post-traumatic stress disorder.185 In addition, passenger transit occupations have been found to have high rates of depression.186
TCRP Synthesis 193 identified seven different measures that transit agencies employ to reduce the instances and severity of assaults.187
- Policies, plans, and protocols;
- Police/security staffing;
- Data communications and telemetry systems (including automatic vehicle locators and emergency alert buttons);
- Surveillance and observation systems (such as closed-circuit television);
- Driver protection systems (incorporated into the design of the bus itself or added later as an upgrade); and
- Training.
Support for these policies and approaches is provided by organizations outside of the transit agency as well as from within the transit agency. Externally, bus operators may find support from local emergency response agencies. However, as these emergency response agencies sometimes face challenges of their own, their ability to provide services, including services for transit operations, may also be diminished. For example, one focus group participant said, “in our mentorship program we’re trying to tell new bus operators we don’t have the luxury of relying on the police like we used to.” Internal support from within the transit agency may include mentorships and various types of transit agency support mechanisms. Some focus group participants indicated that such support is sometimes lacking.
Many respondents to the industry survey said they believed that operator physical confrontations have been increasing over the past 5 years. While this corresponds to the trends displayed in Figure 11, the data the research team collected is limited in its ability to determine whether incidents at transit agencies are quantitatively increasing, or whether respondents perceive them to be so. Regardless, perceived safety is important for mental health and eventual attraction and retention of workers. For those who reported increasing confrontations, some of the stated reasons for this trend (some of which were repeated by multiple respondents as indicated by the number in parentheses) were:
- Mask mandate contention (57),
- Pandemic in general (27),
- Mental health issues (22),
- Homeless population (15), and
- Passenger drug use (15).
Responses differed among labor and non-labor representative respondents as shown in Table 8. A greater proportion of labor representatives feel that operator assaults have been increasing over the past 5 years.
Increases in service levels after the COVID-19 pandemic will mean returning to full capacity where passengers cannot socially distance. One focus group participant indicated that there needs to be an effort to “mentally prepare” bus operators for full service. Several participants in the focus group for this research indicated that physical barriers were helpful for both COVID-19 concerns as well as passenger confrontations.
Operating a large bus, especially in unsafe weather conditions, also puts bus operators at risk of collision-related injuries. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of work-related deaths in the United States according to the CDC.188 In 2016, bus operators in the United States reported 15,185 collisions that resulted in 117 fatalities and 17,492 injuries.189 Transportation incidents were the most prevalent events leading to occupational injuries or illnesses among bus operators in a 2015 study, accounting for between 36 and 42 percent of reported injuries and illnesses to workers in this occupation in the years studied.190
Driver fatigue is a leading contributor to transit collisions. A 2013 study indicated that transit bus operators had a high prevalence of sleep-related disorders like hypersomnolence, insomnia, restless legs syndrome, and obstructive sleep apnea, and work-related traffic collisions were more prevalent in bus operators with obstructive sleep apnea than those without the condition.191
A 2017 study of traditional urban bus and BRT operators found evidence that occupational stress, burnout, and crashes are more common among traditional urban bus drivers than among BRT operators, likely because the environment in which BRT operators operate is much more controlled and predictable.192
Thirty-one percent of respondents to the survey reported that they believe incidences of these collisions have been increasing at their transit agency over the last 5 years (Figure 12). Some of the perceived reasons for this trend were fatigue and stress, lack of training, and pressure to maintain on-time performance.
Although the percentage of responses indicating that collisions have been stable over the past 5 years was similar for labor and non-labor respondents, a greater proportion of labor respondents feel that collisions are increasing when compared to non-labor respondents (Table 9).
Operator Working Environment
Several aspects of the working environment for bus operators, such as schedules and conditions, may make it hard to attract new bus operators and can contribute to low retention rates. In order to provide adequate transit service, transit agencies often require that bus operators work long hours, and sometimes throughout the night. Unusual, and sometimes unpredictable,
Table 8. Perception of confrontations with passengers among labor and non-labor representatives.
Among Labor Representatives (N=141) | Among Non-Labor Representatives (N=133) | |
---|---|---|
Increasing | 68% | 49% |
Decreasing | 2% | 3% |
Stable | 25% | 36% |
I don’t know | 5% | 12% |
Source: TCRP F-28 Industry Survey, Summer 2021.
working hours can cause fatigue among bus operators. Work schedules can also affect bus operators outside of the work context, such as with childcare arrangements. One focus group participant from a mid-sized transit agency in the Midwest indicated that single parents may be less inclined to pursue bus operator jobs due to scheduling constraints.
Due to high demands for bus operators during peak periods, many bus operators work split shifts, which provide a break in driving duty. From a 2016 survey of four large bus agencies, about 37 percent worked split shifts.193 According to the industry survey, 87 percent of the respondents believed that their transit agency uses split shifts. The duration of the split-time can vary from 0.5 hours to 8 hours, as shown in Figure 13. In many cases, driving home between the split shifts is unrealistic. According to a 2016 survey, 21 percent of bus operators complained that the split-time was too long, extending their working day and causing fatigue. Most bus operators preferred short split-times or supported eliminating them. Furthermore, the study showed a positive correlation between longer split-times and the risk of collision.194 The industry survey showed that, of the respondents who reported that their transit agency used split shifts, the majority said that the typical duration was 3 hours or more.
Federal guidelines for transit agencies set the number of hours bus operators can work and the minimum hours between shifts. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines state that bus operators may not drive for more than 10 hours following 8 consecutive
Table 9. Perception of collisions.
Among Labor Representatives (N=141) | Among Non-Labor Representatives (N=133) | |
---|---|---|
Increasing | 40% | 18% |
Decreasing | 6% | 23% |
Stable | 44% | 43% |
I don’t know | 10% | 16% |
Source: TCRP F-28 Industry Survey, Summer 2021.
hours off duty, or after having been on duty 15 hours following 8 consecutive hours off duty. They are also limited to 70 hours of driving in any 8 consecutive days.195
Despite these limits, bus operators are often incentivized to drive long hours. Due to bus operator shortages, transit agencies often provide frequent opportunities for overtime. Bus operators are incentivized by the additional pay to take these opportunities.
To provide transit service at all hours, bus operators are required to work outside of the traditional business hours including weekends and holidays. Among respondents to a 2012 survey that reported a high turnover rate, the hours of work, especially weekends, early mornings, and late evenings was reported as one of the main reasons for the high turnover rate.196 Like traditional transit bus operators, paratransit operators often have variable and long working hours. Union-mandated seniority rules often provide route and schedule preference to those with the most experience, resulting in new workers being left with the most challenging routes and least desirable hours. A 2010 study showed that dissatisfaction with the work shifts assigned was the biggest factor impacting retention among paratransit service providers.197
Bus operators may have very little control over their work schedules and only minimal notice prior to the start of their shift. Forty-four percent of respondents to the industry survey answered that bus operators at their transit agency know their work schedule 1 to 2 days in advance (see Figure 14). Some of the respondents to this question (22 percent) wrote in their own answers. Most frequently (40 out of the 65 written answers), this was to report that bus operators are given advance notice of less than 1 day, and some indicated that their transit agencies provide as little as 4 hours of notice before bus operators are expected to report for their shifts. Bus operators, therefore, have a restricted ability to coordinate their work schedules with other personal considerations such as childcare. A qualitative study of bus operators portrayed feelings of constant stress around childcare arrangements.198
Restroom Access
Restroom access is an often-overlooked component of the bus operator’s working conditions but one that can put a daily strain on the operator and lead to adverse health outcomes,
like urinary tract infections.199 While a bus operator is operating a route, restroom access can be severely limited. The nature of the bus operator occupation poses inherent difficulties with respect to restroom access and scheduling considerations. Even when employers designate restrooms along routes, many factors discourage operators from using them.
While driving a bus, the operator may not have the opportunity to request restroom access. Employer policies for using restrooms along routes can be unclear or unrealistic, or the restrooms may be unsanitary or unsafe.200 Bus operators also report embarrassment, fear of negative passenger reaction, and apprehension about facing disciplinary action from the transit agency.201 Federal regulations under OSHA state that employers are required to provide access to an adequate number of sanitary and fully equipped toilet facilities at places of employment.202 Filing an official complaint, however, requires an employee to first request to use a restroom and be denied.
In an ideal situation, a bus operator starts a shift (split or otherwise) at a transit center with an operator breakroom where they can go rest, warm up their food, use the restroom, and get away from the outdoor elements for the duration of their breaks. But not all breaks coincide with a yard or transit center, and transit agencies need to provide the bus operators with restroom access out in the field.
Because of the pressure to avoid delays, bus operators may wait until the end of a route or shift to use a restroom. According to a survey conducted by ATU, nearly 80 percent of bus operators responded that there was not enough time built into routes to allow for restroom access. Inadequate restroom access can cause serious health concerns for bus operators. According to the survey, 32 percent of bus operators said that they developed a health concern or had a pre-existing condition get worse due to lack of restroom access.203 Among bus operators surveyed by ATU, 16 percent had been warned, disciplined, or retaliated against for using or requesting to use the restroom.204
Labor unions have advocated for employers to enact policies that better mitigate the difficulties inherent in the workplace conditions for bus operators. In 2019, ATU published a survey on restroom access and provided examples of contract language that local unions can apply to their own collective bargaining agreement. ATU has also been very vocal in publicizing the difficulties
that bus operators face regarding restroom access and scheduling breaks and published a guide on restroom access for local unions. The guide indicates that operators have the right to rapid, safe access to restrooms, adequate time to access and use restrooms, no retaliation for going to the restroom, restroom use time built into scheduling, and clear language about restroom access on the bus operator’s route.205
7.2 Forward-Thinking Approaches
The following approaches were identified in the research and stood out as valuable ideas that transit agencies can consider with respect to addressing bus operator safety, health, and working environment issues:
Implement Mentor Program
Mentor programs offer in-house, direct support from experienced employees for new employees as they gain traction and deal with on-the-job challenges. Mentors offer advice and their personal experience ranging from practical considerations, like scheduling, to the emotional and psychological impacts of the job. After the 2021 mass shooting event that occurred in VTA’s railyard resulting in the death of 10 and extended suspension of light rail service, the transit agency benefited from having a built-in support system through the mentor program, which was key in helping individuals at the transit agency process the event and challenging days that followed.
Form Labor–Management Partnership on Safety and Working Conditions
The union can offer valuable insights into the day-to-day issues faced by bus operators. NJ Transit collaborates with the ATU State Council to address safety issues. The union encourages bus operators to report issues immediately by telling their direct supervisor and letting the union know so that the union can provide additional support. The union is also involved in the agency’s safety committee, which is comprised of union and agency members and meets monthly to go over any outstanding safety issues. VTA and Local 265 have a joint safety committee with subcommittees that focus on individual topics. For example, there is a subcommittee focused on reducing bus operator assault. DART also holds regular bus safety committee meetings. The committee is comprised of bus operators as well as representatives from the training, engineering, and safety departments. With input from all attendees, the committee keeps up on regulations as well as measures to ensure that things are in a state of good repair and safety concerns are addressed.
Use Shields for Bus Operator Compartment
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many transit agencies have installed plastic shields around bus operators’ seating areas to serve as protection from passenger assault and airborne disease transmission.206 Metro Transit in Minneapolis–Saint Paul installed temporary shields on buses that lacked protection for bus operators and plans to transition to permanent barriers.207
Review the Role of Bus Operators in Enforcement of Fare Policy
Many bus operator assaults stem from the bus operator’s role in enforcing fare policies or transit agency requirements to state the fare. While it is important for riders to pay their fare, some transit agencies are updating and amending policies that indirectly encourage conflict. For example, removing the requirement for bus operators to have to state the fare can reduce passenger interaction and the resulting potential for conflict that sometimes occurs during this interaction. San Francisco’s MTA, TriMet in Portland, and Seattle’s King County Metro have decriminalized fare evasion partly because eliminating the threat of a misdemeanor decreases the risk of disputes with passengers and therefore protects bus operators.208 Reducing the potential for conflict will in turn reduce the need for additional support either through law enforcement or other transit agency support.
Allow Bus Operator Input in Bus Procurement
Bus operators have developed insights and should have an opportunity to weigh in on selecting buses to get the best value. Based on their experiences, bus operators can provide important input on critical bus issues such as seat ergonomics, blind spots, crash safety, and other features that can make the bus safer and more efficient to operate. In 2016, DART purchased new seats for their buses and used bus operator feedback to choose the model.209
Use Transit Operations Decision Support System Technologies
Transit Operations Decision Support Systems (TODSSs) are systems designed to support dispatchers and others in real-time operations management in response to incidents, special events, and other changing conditions in order to improve operating speeds, reduce passenger wait times, and restore service when disruptions occur.210 In bus operations, TODSS technologies have been identified as a way to manage incoming automatic vehicle location and computer-aided dispatch data and to lessen the burden on dispatchers, which can lead to faster response times in the event of on-board bus operator assault.211
Review and Revise Rules That Allow Seniority to Determine Assignment to the Easiest Routes
Seniority rules often result in the best, safest, and most experienced bus operators working the easiest and safest routes. This leaves the least experienced bus operators on the most dangerous and undesirable routes and schedules. Transit agencies can work with unions to restructure the incentives so that bus operators share the burden and have better retention of new hires.
Provide High-End Portable Bathrooms
While it is ideal that bus operators have access to permanent restroom facilities along their route, providing comfortable, clean portable restrooms can be a cost-effective approach for transit agencies.212
Create Contracts with Local Business Owners for On-Route Restroom Facility Access
Metro Transit uses contracts with local businesses that do not otherwise have free restroom access to obtain on-route restroom facilities for bus operators. An “authorized bus operator restroom locations chart” describing the business name, hours of operation, and any pertinent information (e.g., “you will be buzzed in”) is provided to all bus operators.213
7.3 Resources
- ATU. “Transit Operator Bathroom Breaks: A Matter of Human Dignity and Respect.”
- FMCSA. “Tips for Truck and Bus Drivers.”
- OSHA. “Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs” 2016.
- Stoloff, J., F. Clogston, F. Bellemore. C. Khan, J. Pongsiri, T. Beggs, X. Wang, and K. Holdzkom. 2020. TCRP Research Report 217: Improving the Health and Safety of Transit Workers with Corresponding Impacts on the Bottom Line. Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
- Transit Workforce Center. 2022. “Fundamentals of Mentoring Webinar.”
- Transit Workforce Center. 2022. “Mentor Training.”
- Transportation Learning Center and Educational Data Systems, Inc. 2015. TCRP Report 178: A National Training and Certification Program for Transit Vehicle Maintenance Instructors. Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, DC.
- Wei, J.-I., Y.-J. Guo, and M.-M. Zhang. 2016. “A Method of Optimizing the Work Schedule of Bus Drivers Based on Set Covering Theory.” Journal of Highway and Transportation Research and Development, 10(4),96–101.