Operator Availability Management Methods

Federal Transit Administration 50th Anniversaryhttps://doi.org/10.21949/15273641984PDFTech ReportBooz Allen HamiltonMacDorman & AssociatesUnited States. Urban Mass Transportation AdministrationUnited States. Urban Mass Transportation AdministrationWashington (District of Columbia);United StatesAbsenteeismBus driversCase studiesOperating costsPolicySchedulingAdministration and ManagementEconomicsHighwaysPolicyPublic TransportationSocietyI10: Economics and AdministrationDOT-I-84-23 Final Rpt.Final ReportManagement of operator availability represents a collection of procedures and information used to maintain cost-effective staffing levels. It addresses only the mechanics of matching operator supply with demand, aiming to minimize that component of operating costs. As transit managers seek to increase productivity, the task of achieving a cost effective driver inventory cuts across organizational lines and demands effective planning, coordination and control. This report describes procedures and techniques that promote a greater understanding of the dynamics of operator availability management by describing techniques employed by three U.S. transit systems which have proven effective. Two basic controls are required: Informational--collection and abstraction of data for management purposes, and organizational--coordination of different functions reporting to different managers. Typically six organizational units have some impact on the process: Service planning, scheduling, transportation administration, transportation divisions, transportation instruction and personnel. Case studies show controls developed in Seattle, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Albany, N.Y.138