Bus Operator Workforce Management: Practitioner’s Guide (2023) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 92-102
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From page 92... ...
Senior bus operators are selected to provide the on-the-job training based on how responsible the transit agency feels they are and how qualified they are to provide the training. Bus operators are paired based on whether they have been hired primarily for paratransit or fixed-route service.
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From page 93... ...
Finally, survey respondents indicated success with training and development offerings, including their regular post-onboarding training opportunities, mentorship program, and a temporary CDL training program partnership with a local community college. Transit Agency Background Information Geographic FTA Region Fixed Demand Full-time Part-time Union Area Route Response Operators Operators Status Bus Bus Service (Fixed Route (Fixed Route Service and and Paratransit)
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From page 94... ...
Specifically, it states the need to "continue cross-functional collaboration" between Human Resources, Operations, Office of Management and Budget, and Marketing to improve recruitment and retention for several positions, including bus operators.247 Interviews with GCRTA employees indicate that outside of internal transit agency coordina tion, the local union currently has limited involvement in bus operator recruitment. However, interviews with union leaders indicated their desire to be more involved in the recruitment, hiring, and onboarding processes, based on their awareness of successful outcomes in other transit agencies who have partnered with their local unions for these purposes.
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From page 95... ...
Previously, benefits were not available until the 6-month employment mark for all bus operators, but the transit agency recently lowered the period down to 60 days. The GCRTA human resources department considers part of their responsibility to educate potential employees about total compensation, which includes not just informing employees on wages, but also how benefits are also a part of compensation.
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From page 96... ...
The mentorship program currently focuses on bus operators in the first 5 years of their career but in the future GCRTA hopes to expand participation to those who have been on board longer to reduce burn out. From the union's perspective, the mentorship program allows for a non-traditional approach to the first days of employment in which bus operators learn about not only skills reflective of basic job tasks but also skills that support and promote the transit agency culture.
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From page 97... ...
To do this, new processes have been put in place to help employees see how their roles support specific task items related to the organization's strategic plan. According to the interviewee, "I know what the CEO wants to be done and all deputies have initiatives that drive the CEO's plan." As one interviewee stated, "it's not enough to increase the number of hires and not change the things about the organization that are driving people out." To improve retention, GCRTA implemented a regular focus group of managers from each department to hold difficult discussions about what was causing bus operators to leave.
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From page 98... ...
The Human Resources Department uses a 4.5-percent absenteeism factor and may increase the percentage based on the number of bus operators out for more than 30 days to help determine the number of bus operators the transit agency needs to hire in that quarter. Numbers can vary a lot throughout the course of a year.
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From page 99... ...
Employees learn about the suite of benefits during the orientation program. Although the transit agency employs about 100 part-time bus operators, the benefits package is only available to full-time employees.
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From page 100... ...
This program enables NJ Transit to train more bus operators because it decreases the load on the training department staff. Refresher training is offered on topics ranging from serving customers with disabilities and troubleshooting to defensive driving.
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From page 101... ...
Despite needing to increase capacity to hire and train such a large number of bus operators, interviewees from NJ Transit management stated that the standards of the training have remained critical to the training department and quality has never been compromised. According to interviewees, some of the successful practices embedded in NJ Transit's bus operator training stemmed from the transit agency's involvement in the Transit Green Jobs Training Partnership.
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From page 102... ...
NJ Transit management has worked to ensure that bus operators feel safe and that their com plaints are heard and addressed. In response to COVID-19, the transit agency set up a barrier system, provided PPE, and had a mandated testing program.
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