Evaluation of short-duration unscheduled absences among transit operators : TriMet case study

682163785PDFTech ReportOTREC-RR-09-05Transit personnelPublic transitTransit operating agenciesOregonOregon Transportation Research and Education ConsortiumStrathman, James G.Broach, JosephCallas, StevePortland State University. Center for Urban StudiesUnited States. Dept. of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology AdministrationNTL-PLANNING AND POLICY-Transit Planning and PolicyNTL-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION-Transit Planning and PolicyUS Transportation CollectionThis report analyzes factors contributing to short duration (one to three days) unscheduled absences among operatorsat TriMet, the transit provider for the Portland, Oregon metropolitan region. The analysis draws on a wide array ofoperator-specific information recovered by transit ITS technologies in combination with information from theagency\ue2\u20ac\u2122s human resources, scheduling, incident, and customer relations databases. The likelihood of an absence isestimated in relation to personal characteristics, employment status, aspects of assigned work, service delivery andperformance indicators, temporal factors, and customer feedback. The findings can be used directly to supportextraboard planning practices. More generally, the findings point to changes in policies and practices that wouldpotentially reduce the incidence of short duration absences