Bus Operator Workforce Management: Practitioner’s Guide (2023) / Chapter Skim
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Chapter 3 - Bus Operator Recruitment
Chapter 3 - Bus Operator Recruitment
Pages 21-30
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From page 21... ...
A Report from TransitCenter recommends revising the drug test, which currently indicates marijuana use 3 to 67 days prior to testing, to an oral test that would indicate drug use in the past 24 hours.68 Demand-responsive transit operators, and specifically paratransit operators, may be particularly challenging to recruit, in part, due to lower wages and benefits compared to fixed-route operators.69 Moreover, considering the workforce challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, transit agencies, like so many other employers, are experimenting with new methods for attracting candidates. Ultimately, by investing in advertising and promotion of job opportunities before there are workforce shortages and improving the transit agency's image in the community, transit agencies can become employers of choice and alleviate some of the challenges associated with attracting qualified candidates to open positions.
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From page 22... ...
Internet-based recruitment strategies for bus operators have filled the gaps left by declines in the use of print media to recruit candidates. Social media is a common way to advertise positions, and some interviewees expressed that social media is especially helpful for recruiting younger candidates.
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From page 23... ...
For example, some transit agencies use referral programs that involve existing employees who know and understand the job best in the recruitment of potential highly qualified employees. Other examples of this strategy include having bus operators on-site at job fairs or featuring bus operators in videos displayed on the transit agency's website.
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From page 24... ...
One stakeholder interviewee indicated that a national approach and push for including trans portation career pathways in career education would be helpful in youth outreach and career education. In a 2019 report on transit workforce development, the Government Accountability Office recommended that the FTA work with stakeholders to develop a transit workforce strategy and develop performance goals and measures for the transit agency's workforce efforts.78 Dedicating Resources to Marketing for Vacant Positions Interviewees listed several obstacles associated with a lack of awareness or understanding of the job that undermines the transit agencies' efforts to recruit bus operators.
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Competition with Other Industries Better work schedules and wages offered by other employers affect the ability of a transit agency to recruit transit bus operators. According to one stakeholder interviewee, it is easier to hire for transit jobs when unemployment is high.
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From page 26... ...
For example, a 2002 study indicated that all bus and paratransit operators at Pierce Transit in Washington State were hired into part time relief positions as stipulated by the collective bargaining agreement. Relief positions are often undesirable because it is difficult for operators to anticipate their work schedule in advance, and they must be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.83 A 2000 Report indicated that for in-house paratransit operators, labor agreements may stipulate two different wage scales for fixed route and paratransit operators, with paratransit operators earning lower wages.84 3.2 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 recruitment issues: Target Recruitment Efforts at Younger Candidates Some transit agencies, like the Unified Government of Wyandotte County in Kansas, have begun to explore recruiting at ages younger than 21, which is the age required to obtain a CDL.
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From page 27... ...
More recently, PSTA has begun to invest more than ever in recruitment and added new approaches including: • Regular posts on Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media sites • Paid Google ads and paid YouTube ads using video • Video advertisement created by in-house videographer for: – Google and YouTube ads – Digital streaming ads, such as Roku, Paramount Plus • 50,000 targeted emails were sent to local job seekers in April 2022 via local news affiliates • Bus wrap advertisements • Advertisements on the interior of buses • Prints, posters, brochures at bus stops and stations Of these new recruitment strategies, targeted emails and digital streaming ads appear to be the most effective. PSTA also added another recruiter who is solely focused on bus operators, which one interviewee felt was a very important investment.
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The adver tisement for the signing bonus was distributed with a $2,000 signing bonus for bus operators already possessing a CDL. Offer Special Incentives for Applicants with a CDL Some transit agencies that participated in focus group discussions are considering offering qualified bus operator candidates with CDLs a fast-tracked training program as well as providing the next increase in pay according to the transit agency's wage tiers.
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From page 29... ...
The transit agency includes a QR code or its web address in all its recruiting advertising. Have High Visibility at Public Events with Buses and Current Bus Operators On-Site One strategy is to have a promotional bus displayed at public events with high attendance and to have current bus operators on hand as recruiters.
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Though this is a separate union from the bus operators, this arrangement was legal within the supervisor union's memorandum of understanding.96 3.3 Resources • In August 2021, the U.S. DOT's FTA awarded a grant to the International Transportation Learning Center to create a Transit Workforce Center to help transit agencies recruit, hire, train, and retain the transit workforce.
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