A Challenged Employment System: Hiring, Training, Performance Evaluation, and Retention of Bus Operators

This synthesis will be on interest to transit agency professionals and the consultants who work with them in dealing with bus operator employment processes. It offers a snapshot of public agency practices in the uniquely different but interrelated areas of bus operator hiring, training, performance evaluation, and retention. Because the transit industry is experiencing the same tight labor market as all types of employers, combined with the changing work force demographics and difficult transit working conditions, staffing has become an increasing challenge. Recruitment, retention, and turnover are all major concerns. Survey information suggests that transit agencies have not yet adopted an across-the-board systematic approach to employment processes. This report reinforces the interrelated nature of employment processes and provides opportunities for agencies to build on successful and innovative industry practices.