Below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine-read text (when available) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole.
Intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text on the opening pages of each chapter.
Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
Do not use for reproduction, copying, pasting, or reading; exclusively for search engines.
OCR for page 87
APPENDIX A
Transit Agency Survey
and Survey Responses
87
OCR for page 88
88 Employee Compensation Guidelines for Transit Providers in Rural and Small Urban Areas
TRANSIT AGENCIES!
We need your help! KFH Group, the research team for the Transit Cooperative Research
Program (TCRP*) Project F-12, is preparing Employee Compensation Guidelines to
help providers of transit in rural and small urban areas make employee compensation
decisions. The project also will provide transit managers with methods that can be used to
attract and retain employees.
Please help us develop the Employee Compensation Guidelines by completing a survey
on compensation at your agency or organization. Can you take a few minutes to complete
the survey by the close of business Friday October 20, 2006?
You have three options for completing the survey:
1. You can complete the paper copy (enclosed) and mail it back to us at:
KFH Group
4920 Elm Street
Suite 350
Bethesda, MD 20814
2. You can complete the paper copy and fax it back to us at (301) 951-0026.
3. You can complete the survey on-line. KFH Group is using a third party survey
application, Survey Monkey, for this surveying effort. The link to the survey is
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=871182645932 (copy into your browser to follow
the link).
We estimate that it will take you about 15-20 minutes to complete the survey. You may
need to look up specific wage and benefit information by job category for your employees.
Please note that if you are completing the web-based survey on Survey Monkey you may
stop the survey at any point and come back to finish it; your answers will be saved
automatically. To come back to the survey, simply follow the link above.
ALL DATA WILL BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL and will only be used to develop industry-
wide compensation comparisons. The Employee Compensation Guidelines should be a
valuable tool for small urban and rural transit managers, their boards, and local elected
officials. The report will be free and distributed through TCRP.
If you have any questions regarding the survey itself or the project, please call Sue Knapp
or Elisabeth Fetting of the KFH Group at (301)951-8660 or email sknapp@kfhgroup.com
or efetting@kfhgroup.com .
Thank you for your participation!
*
TCRP is an applied research program of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), intended to develop near-term
practical solutions to problems facing transit agencies. TRB serves as an independent adviser to the federal government
and others on scientific and technical questions of national importance and is administered by the National Academy of
Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
OCR for page 89
Transit Agency Survey and Survey Responses 89
PART I - CONTACT INFORMATION
Name of Organization:
Doing Business As (DBA)
Name or Acronym:
Street Address:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Contact Person:
Email:
Phone:
Fax:
Person Completing
this Survey:
Phone:
1. Is your organization/agency responsible for the management and/or
operation of public transit services?
Yes No
OCR for page 90
90 Employee Compensation Guidelines for Transit Providers in Rural and Small Urban Areas
PART II - SERVICE AREA CHARACTERISTICS
2. Which term best describes the public transit service area.
single municipal service area
multi-town service area
single county service area
multi-county service area
Indian tribal reservation service area
Other: (Please specify)
___________________________________________________
3. Please identify the city(ies)/town(s)/village(s) or county(ies) that are
included in your primary public transit service area.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
OCR for page 91
Transit Agency Survey and Survey Responses 91
PART II - SERVICE AREA CHARACTERISTICS
(continued)
4. Is there an urbanized area within your primary service area?
No
Yes If yes, what is the name of the urbanized area?
__________________________________________________________
If No, estimate how close is the nearest urbanized area to where the
majority of your employees are based (in miles)
5 10 miles
11 20 miles
21 30 miles
31 40 miles
41 50 miles
51 100 miles
> 100 miles
5. Please estimate the unemployment rate in your service area. (i.e.
1%, 2%, 3%, etc.)
OCR for page 92
92 Employee Compensation Guidelines for Transit Providers in Rural and Small Urban Areas
PART III - TRANSIT SERVICE CHARACTERISTICS
6. What type of public transit services are provided by your agency
or organization? A description of each service can be found by clicking
on each of the service types. (Check all that apply)
Fixed-route
Deviated fixed-route
Paratransit/Dial-a-Ride
Subscription
Other (please specify)
_________________________________________________
7. How many revenue passenger service vehicles are in your
organization/agency's fleet? ______________________________
8. Of these vehicles, how many require the driver to hold a
commercial drivers license (CDL)?_________________________
9. How many one-way transit passenger trips were provided by your
organization/agency in the most recent fiscal year ?________________
OCR for page 93
Transit Agency Survey and Survey Responses 93
10. What was you agency/organization's annual operating budget
for public transportation in the most recent fiscal year?
<$50,000
$50,001 - $100,000
$100,001 - $250,000
$250,001 - $500,000
$500,001 - $750,000
$750,001 - $1,000,000
$1,000,001 - $1,250,000
$1,250,001 - $1,500,000
>$1,500,000
11. Which Federal grant funding does your organization or agency
receive? (Check all that apply)
Section 5311 (rural public program)
Section 5307 (small urban program)
Section 5416 (Job Access and Reverse Commute - JARC)
Section 5310 (elderly and disabled capital program)
Other (please specify)
____________________________________________________________
OCR for page 94
94 Employee Compensation Guidelines for Transit Providers in Rural and Small Urban Areas
PART VI - FUNDING CHARACTERISTICS (continued)
12. What local funding sources do you use to support public
transportation? (Check all that apply)
Local general funds
Specific local source - Sales Tax
Specific local source - Property Tax
Specific local source - Employer Tax
Specific local source - Parking or Other Vehicle Fee
Contract revenue - Public or Non-profit Agency
Contract revenue - Private Agency
Other (please specify)
_________________________________________________________
OCR for page 95
Transit Agency Survey and Survey Responses 95
PART V - ORGANIZATION/AGENCY CHARACTERISTICS
13. Which of the following best describes your organization/agency?
Transit Authority
Department of County government
Department of City government
Private nonprofit agency - transportation only
Private nonprofit agency - multi-purpose
Private, for-profit transportation provider
Other (please specify)
________________________________________________________
14. What term best describes the method of public transit service delivery
utilized by your organization/agency?
Direct operation ONLY - Our organization manages & operates all public
transit services
Contract operation ONLY - Our organization contracts with another
agency/company to operate all public transit services
Combination - We use a combination of direct operation & contracted
services
Brokerage - We arrange for transportation with a network of service
providers
OCR for page 96
96 Employee Compensation Guidelines for Transit Providers in Rural and Small Urban Areas
PART VI - STAFF CHARACTERISTICS
15. How many people are employed by the public transit system?
# Full-time (35 hours a week or more)
__________________________
# Part-time (34 hours a week or less)
__________________________
# Volunteers
__________________________
16. What is the employee turnover rate at the public transit system (the
number of staff who left during the year divided by the average monthly
employment for the year)?
17. Are any of the employees of your transit system members of a union?
No
Yes If Yes, which categories of employees are covered, and by what union?
OCR for page 97
Transit Agency Survey and Survey Responses 97
PART VII - JOB CATEGORIES, WAGES, AND
BENEFITS (continued)
18a. Please use the table below to tell us about your transit staff. Complete
the table using the job categories that most closely describe those within
your organization/agency.
Your organization will NOT have staff in all jobs listed below. In cases where
an individual has multiple functions, please classify that individual under
the job title that best describes his/her predominant area of responsibility.
Please classify each staff person only ONCE.
NUMBER OF POSITIONS
Please indicate the number of positions for each job.
# Full-Time # Part-Time
Director of Transit ________________ ________________
Administrative Assistant ________________ ________________
Transportation Planner ________________ ________________
Bookkeeper/Finance Clerk ________________ ________________
Marketing Specialist ________________ ________________
Computer Operations Analyst ________________ ________________
Safety & Training Manager ________________ ________________
Rideshare Coordinator ________________ ________________
Trainer ________________ ________________
Administrative Support/Clerk ________________ ________________
Operations Supervisor ________________ ________________
Street Supervisor ________________ ________________
Scheduler/Call Taker ________________ ________________
Dispatcher ________________ ________________
Maintenance Manager ________________ ________________
Maintenance Clerk ________________ ________________
Mechanic ________________ ________________
Mechanic Assistant ________________ ________________
Utility Worker ________________ ________________
Bus Driver - CDL ________________ ________________
Bus Driver - Non-CDL ________________ ________________
Other ________________ ________________
OCR for page 98
98 Employee Compensation Guidelines for Transit Providers in Rural and Small Urban Areas
PART VII - JOB CATEGORIES, WAGES, AND
BENEFITS
18b. Please use the table below to tell us about your transit staff wages.
Complete the table using the job categories that most closely describe
those within your organization/agency.
Your organization will NOT have staff in all jobs listed below. In cases
where an individual has multiple functions, please classify that individual
under the job title that best describes his/her predominant area of
responsibility. Please classify each staff person only ONCE.
SALARY RANGE
Please indicate the hourly wage rate or annual salary range.
Low Salary High Salary
Director of Transit ________________ ________________
Administrative Assistant ________________ ________________
Transportation Planner ________________ ________________
Bookkeeper/Finance Clerk ________________ ________________
Marketing Specialist ________________ ________________
Computer Operations Analyst ________________ ________________
Safety & Training Manager ________________ ________________
Rideshare Coordinator ________________ ________________
Trainer ________________ ________________
Administrative Support/Clerk ________________ ________________
Operations Supervisor ________________ ________________
Street Supervisor ________________ ________________
Scheduler/Call Taker ________________ ________________
Dispatcher ________________ ________________
Maintenance Manager ________________ ________________
Maintenance Clerk ________________ ________________
Mechanic ________________ ________________
Mechanic Assistant ________________ ________________
Utility Worker ________________ ________________
Bus Driver - CDL ________________ ________________
Bus Driver - Non-CDL ________________ ________________
Other ________________ ________________
OCR for page 99
Transit Agency Survey and Survey Responses 99
PART VII - JOB CATEGORIES, WAGES, AND
BENEFITS (continued)
19. Do you provide overtime pay for your employees?
No Yes
If Yes, at what rate?
Straight time
Time and half
Double time
Please estimate the percentage of overtime wages to total wages for
your agency or organization?
___________________________________________________________________
20. Do you consider the wages paid to your employees to be?
Above the local labor market average
About average for the local labor market
Below the local labor market average
OCR for page 100
100 Employee Compensation Guidelines for Transit Providers in Rural and Small Urban Areas
PART VII - JOB CATEGORIES, WAGES, AND
BENEFITS (continued)
21. Please tell us about the benefits your organization or agency provides for
employees (in addition to the legally-required benefits such as FICA). (Check
all that apply)
Health Compensatory
Health
Insurance Disability Life Retirement Sick Time for Educational Wellness
Insurance - Vacation
- family Insurance Insurance Plan Leave Overtime Opportunities Program
employee
members Hours
Please indicate which particular benefits your organization/agency
contributes to - on behalf of your employees. (Check all that apply)
Health Health
Disability
Insurance - Insurance - Life Insurance Retirement Plan None
Insurance
employee family members
22. Are these benefits available for?
All employees
Full-time employees only
Part-time employees - Minimum number of hours required to work
________________________________
OCR for page 101
Transit Agency Survey and Survey Responses 101
PART VII - JOB CATEGORIES, WAGES, AND
BENEFITS (continued)
23. Do you consider the benefits provided for your employees to be?
Above those found in the area
About the same as those found in the area
Below those found in the area
OCR for page 102
102 Employee Compensation Guidelines for Transit Providers in Rural and Small Urban Areas
PART VIII - EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT AND
RETENTION STRATEGIES
24. Does your organization/agency currently have a shortage of staff?
No
Yes
If yes, which ___________________________________________________
positions have
___________________________________________________
shortages?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
If yes, why?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
25. Which methods does your organization/agency use to recruit
potential employees? (Check all that apply, and describe additional
methods as needed.)
Newspaper Advertisements
Internet Advertisements
Employee/Personal Referrals
Advertisements on the Vehicles
Job Fairs
Newsletter Advertisements
Other:
__________________________________________
OCR for page 103
Transit Agency Survey and Survey Responses 103
PART VIII - EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT AND
RETENTION STRATEGIES (continued)
26. What strategies does your agency use to retain employees?
(Check all that apply, and describe additional strategies as needed)
Provide training opportunities
Provide retirement benefits
Provide health insurance
Offer a working environment that promotes high morale among employees
Provide employee recognition programs
Provide bonus pay
Conduct employee reviews
Provide periodic wage increases
Other:
__________________________________________________________
OCR for page 104
104 Employee Compensation Guidelines for Transit Providers in Rural and Small Urban Areas
PART VIII - EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT AND
RETENTION STRATEGIES (continued)
27. Please tell us about any methods or strategies you consider to be
particularly effective and/or innovative in either attracting or retaining
employees.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
28. Would you be willing to discuss your innovative methods further
with the research team?
No
Yes
OCR for page 105
Transit Agency Survey and Survey Responses 105
Table A-1. Summary of survey responses.
Number of Respondents: 360 Number of States: 45
SERVICE AREA CHARACTERISTICS
Is your organization/agency responsible for the management and/or operation of public transit services?
Yes 360 98%
No 7 2%
Total 367
Which term best describes the public transit service area?
single municipal service area 76 21%
multi-town service area 49 14%
single county service area 134 37%
multi-county service area 98 27%
Indian tribal reservation service area 3 1%
Total 360 100%
Is there an urbanized area within your primary service area?
No 179 50%
Yes 181 50%
Total 360 100%
If No, estimate how close is the nearest urbanized area to where the majority of your employees are based?
5 - 10 miles 8 5%
11 - 20 miles 12 8%
21 - 30 miles 27 18%
31 - 40 miles 24 16%
41 - 50 miles 18 12%
51 - 100 miles 43 28%
> 100 miles 20 13%
Total 152
Unemployment Rate in Service Area 5.4% Average
1% - 60% Range
5.2% Stand. Dev.
BLS Region
New England 24 7%
Middle Atlantic 14 4%
East North Central 64 18%
West North Central 72 20%
South Atlantic 58 16%
East South Central 10 3%
West South Central 49 14%
Mountain 45 13%
Pacific 22 6%
Total 358
APTA Region
New England 24 7%
Middle Atlantic 20 6%
Great Lakes 64 18%
North Central 72 20%
Southeast 86 24%
Southwest/Mountain 70 20%
Pacific 20 6%
Non-continental 2 1%
Total 358
ORGANIZATIONAL/AGENCY CHARACTERISTICS
Which of the following best describes your organization/agency?
Transit Authority 50 15%
Department of County government 55 17%
Department of City government 67 20%
Private nonprofit agency - transportation only 46 14%
Private nonprofit agency - multi-purpose 82 25%
Private- for-profit transportation provider 4 1%
Other (please specify) 26 8%
Total 330
(continued on next page)
OCR for page 106
106 Employee Compensation Guidelines for Transit Providers in Rural and Small Urban Areas
Table A-1. (Continued).
Number of Respondents: 360 Number of States: 45
What term best describes the method of public transit service delivery utilized by your organization/agency?
Direct operation ONLY 245 72%
Contract operation ONLY 25 7%
Combination 65 19%
Brokerage 6 2%
Total 341
TRANSIT SERVICE CHARACTERISTICS
What type(s) of public transit services are provided by your agency or organization?
fixed-route/deviated fixed-route only 51 15%
paratransit/dial-a-ride/subscription only 131 38%
fixed-route/paratransit/subscription mix 163 47%
Total 345
Number of Revenue Passenger Service Vehicles (321 respondents) 24 Average
1 - 550 vehicles Range
38 Stand. Dev.
Percent of Vehicles Requiring a CDL (321 respondents) 55% Average
0 -100% Range
44% Stand. Dev.
Number of Annual One-Way Transit Passenger Trips (269 respondents) 264,600 Average
10 trips - 8.7M trips Range
719,147 Stand. Dev.
FUNDING CHARACTERISTICS
What was your agency/organization's annual operating budget for public transportation in the most recent fiscal year?
Less than $50,000 24 7%
$50,001 - $100,000 28 9%
$100,001-$250,000 34 11%
$250,001-$500,000 54 17%
$500,001-$750,000 30 9%
$750,001-$1,000,000 26 8%
$1,000,000-$1,250,000 23 7%
$1,250,001-$1,500,000 15 5%
Greater than $$1,500,000 88 27%
Total 322
Which Federal grant funding does your organization or agency receive?
Section 5311 (rural public program) Only 235 73%
Section 5307 (small urban program) Only 43 13%
Section 5307 and S.5311 28 9%
Section 5316 (Job Access & Reverse Commute-JARC) Only 3 1%
Section 5310 (elderly and disabled capital ) Only 11 3%
Other 3 1%
Total 323
What local funding sources do you use to support public transportation?
Local general funds 211 69%
Specific local source - Sales Tax 27 9%
Specific local source - Property Tax 32 10%
Specific local source - Employer Tax 1 0%
Specific local source - Parking or Other Vehicle Fee 5 2%
Contract revenue - Public or Non-profit Agency 162 53%
Contract revenue - Private Agency 55 18%
Other (please specify) 99 32%
Total 308
STAFF CHARACTERISTICS
Number of systems with:
Full-Time Employees 280 92%
Part-Time Employees 277 91%
Volunteers 46 15%
Total 303
OCR for page 107
Transit Agency Survey and Survey Responses 107
Table A-1. (Continued).
Number of Respondents: 360 Number of States: 45
How many people are employed by the transit system? (307 respondents - systems that have employees)
Full-Time Employees 6,247 Total
22.3 Average
1-300 Range
Part-Time Employees 3,199 Total
11.6 Average
1-200 Range
Volunteers 579 Total
12.6 Average
1-152 Range
Percentage of Staff that are Part-Time (301 respondents) 44% Average
0-100% Range
30% Stand. Dev.
Number of Systems that Use Volunteers
Yes - in Conjunction with Paid Staff 46 15%
No 256 85%
Total 302
Number of Employees
0 Employees 57 16%
1-9 Employees 69 19%
10-24 Employees 106 29%
25-49 Employees 68 19%
50-99 Employees 44 12%
100+ Employees 16 4%
Total 360
What is the employee turnover rate (the number of staff who left during the 11% Average
year divided by the average monthly employment for the year)? 0% - 65% Range
(283 respondents) 13% Stand. Dev.
Does your organization/agency currently have a shortage of staff?
No 163 57%
Yes 121 43%
Total 284
If shortages, which positions? (121 repondents)
Drivers Only 101 83%
Drivers plus Other Staff 13 11%
Other Staff Only 7 6%
Total 121
If shortages, why? (107 respondents)
Shortage of qualified applicants 42 39%
Low pay 36 34%
Lack of benefits 11 10%
Funding 18 17%
Other 16 15%
Total 107
Are any of the employees of your transit system members of a union?
No 246 80%
Yes 60 20%
Total 306
COMPENSATION - WAGES
Do you provide overtime pay for your employees?
No 52 18%
Yes 235 82%
Total 287
If Yes at what rate?
Straight time 3 1%
Time and half 242 99%
Double time 0 0%
Total 245
(continued on next page)
OCR for page 108
108 Employee Compensation Guidelines for Transit Providers in Rural and Small Urban Areas
Table A-1. (Continued).
Number of Respondents: 360 Number of States: 45
Estimate the percentage of overtime wages to total wages. 6.2% Average
(222 respondents) 1% - 80% Range
Do you consider the wages paid to your employees to be?
Above the local labor market average 38 14%
About average for the local labor market 154 54%
Below the local labor market average 92 32%
Total 284
COMPENSATION - BENEFITS
Please tell us about the benefits your organization or agency offers for employees
Health Insurance - employee 247 88%
Health Insurance - family members 176 63%
Disability Insurance 147 52%
Life Insurance 204 73%
Retirement Plan 219 78%
Vacation 266 95%
Sick Leave 250 89%
Compensatory Time for Overtime Hours 136 48%
Educational Opportunities 115 41%
Wellness Program 75 27%
Total 281
Please indicate which benefits your organization/agency contributes to on behalf of your employees.
Health Insurance - employee 219 79%
Health Insurance - family members 107 39%
Disability Insurance 100 36%
Life Insurance 160 58%
Retirement Plan 197 71%
None 27 10%
Total 277 100%
Are these benefits available for?
All employees 51 18%
Full-time employees only 181 65%
Part-time employees 46 17%
Total 278
Do you consider the benefits provided for your employees to be?
Above those found in the area 123 44%
About the same as those found in the area 112 40%
Below those found in the area 45 16%
Total 280
