Meeting Agenda

1. Welcome and Meeting Guidelines—Sandy Johnston, MPO Staff

Sandy Johnston welcomed attendees to the Transit Working Group (TWG) Coffee Chat, and he invited attendees to introduce themselves in the chat. S. Johnston introduced himself as a Senior Transportation Planner on the Boston Region MPO’s staff and manager of the TWG. S. Johnston explained that this meeting’s topic of focus is a report on Bus Operators in Crisis, and the meeting will be co-facilitated by Chris Van Eyken of TransitCenter.

2. Bus Operators in Crisis Report—Chris Van Eyken, TransitCenter

C. Van Eyken began his presentation with an overview of the Bus Operators in Crisis report published by TransitCenter, of which he was the lead author. This research was spurred by pandemic-related labor shortages and questions about how this phenomenon affects agencies’ ability to deliver services. The report derived its findings from interviews with agency staff, union representatives, and former transit operators, as well as from desk research on past studies and economic development data in an effort to identify larger trends outside of the transit industry.

The researchers found that the difficulty of finding and retaining skilled transit operators affects agencies of all sizes across the country, resulting in agencies needing to cut or delay services. One of the key reasons behind this crisis is that a large percentage of transit workers are baby boomers, but as they come of retirement age agencies are struggling to recruit enough employees to replace retirees. Additionally, a decline in job quality makes operator positions less attractive and pay raises have not kept up with cost of living, especially in big cities. Overall, this is a crisis that has been a long time coming and COVID simply exacerbated pre-existing shortages.

Some of the recommendations presented in the report include making the jobs more attractive to potential hires and investing in benefits to retain workers, such as competitive compensation, improved employee facilities, signing bonuses, and assistance with obtaining a commercial driver’s license (CDL), among others. Additionally, agencies must emphasize mental health, as operators can face verbal and physical assault during their routes which can significantly impact retention. Overall, agencies must prioritize operators’ health and safety and actualize operator feedback on a regular basis to ensure the longevity of their employees’ tenure.

States can assist agencies in their efforts to hire and retain operators by increasing and maintaining funding for transit operations, as well as expediting the processing of CDLs, and reducing the barriers of entering the workforce for formerly incarcerated peoples. The federal government can help by raising the profile of issues such as driver safety and drug testing guidelines, as well as issuing comprehensive guidance and policy for agencies to aid in developing recruitment policy.

Robert Guptill (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) asked whether the issue of bus route length in relation to operator health and safety came up in C. Van Eyken’s research. C. Van Eyken said that route length was not specifically raised, but other issues were identified as having an impact on timing, such as offboard fare collection and dedicated bus lanes. R. Guptill raised the additional issue of split shifts as placing a heavy strain on operators who are not able to fully rest between shifts. Split shifts can cause difficulties for those with childcare responsibilities also.

Karen Dumaine (TransAction Associates/CrossTown Connect/Neponset Valley TMA) expressed agreement about the need to expedite the CDL process and shared some successful changes the TMA has implemented to boost driver hiring and retention, such as wage increases, gas cards, and improved amenities.

Jeff Bennett (128 Business Council) shared that since the pandemic shifted transit operator schedules as well as safety needs, his agency has implemented more break and relief time between routes.

Kristine Gorman (Jacobs Infrastructure Consultant) expressed that she would like to see the positions of bus operator promoted more as a career path with growth. C. Van Eyken responded that in recent years, many scheduling and transit planning jobs have been taken over by candidates with planning degrees, where in the past operators had the opportunity to move into those roles. Gildardo Alzate stated that while operators may not be able to move into planning positions, there are still plenty of roles where operator experience is key.

S. Johnston raised the question of developing a transit operator workforce and asked how municipalities can support such an endeavor. C. Van Eyken responded that a good first step may be for municipalities to connect transit agencies with community colleges and high schools to prepare students for operator careers while also providing the first steps in obtaining a CDL or other licensures.

K. Dumaine raised the concern of promoting operators to office jobs and then being unable to fill those operator roles. C. Van Eyken responded that that scenario has been an issue for some agencies.

S. Johnston raised the related issue of a lack of cross-agency collaboration in the event of operator or resource shortages. C. Van Eyken responded with an example of childcare as a resource shortage, which places an additional strain on operators who must deal with rising costs of childcare as well as a job which is physically and mentally demanding.

3. Closing and Next Steps

S. Johnston reminded attendees that the slides and contact information would be sent to attendees via email after the meeting. S. Johnston also invited participants to attend the quarterly Transit Working Group meeting to be held on September 20, 2022. He again thanked presenters and attendees, and he shared his contact information in the chat.

Attendance

Members	Representatives and Alternates
Karen Dumaine	TransAction Associates, CrossTown Connect, Neponset Valley Transportation Management Association
Tyler Terrasi	MetroWest Regional Transportation Authority (MWRTA)
Emily VanDewoestine	MWRTA
Shona Norman	Cape Ann Transportation Authority
Chris Van Eyken	Transit Center
Heather Hoffman
Jack Narron	Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Robert Guptill	Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)
John Strauss	Town of Burlington
Gilardo Alzate
Lisa Weber	Executive Office of Health and Human Services
Jeff Bennet	128 Business Council
Lauren O’Connell	ITDP
Kristine Gorman	Jacobs
Linda Sacchetti	Brockton Area Transit Authority
Laura Gilmore	MBTA

MPO Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff
Sandy Johnston, Senior Transportation Planner
Logan Casey, Administrative Coordinator

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) operates its programs, services, and activities in compliance with federal nondiscrimination laws including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, and related statutes and regulations. Title VI prohibits discrimination in federally assisted programs and requires that no person in the United States of America shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin (including limited English proficiency), be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity that receives federal assistance. Related federal nondiscrimination laws administered by the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, or both, prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, and disability. The Boston Region MPO considers these protected populations in its Title VI Programs, consistent with federal interpretation and administration. In addition, the Boston Region MPO provides meaningful access to its programs, services, and activities to individuals with limited English proficiency, in compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation policy and guidance on federal Executive Order 13166.

The Boston Region MPO also complies with the Massachusetts Public Accommodation Law, M.G.L. c 272 sections 92a, 98, 98a, which prohibits making any distinction, discrimination, or restriction in admission to, or treatment in a place of public accommodation based on race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or ancestry. Likewise, the Boston Region MPO complies with the Governor's Executive Order 526, section 4, which requires that all programs, activities, and services provided, performed, licensed, chartered, funded, regulated, or contracted for by the state shall be conducted without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, disability, veteran's status (including Vietnam-era veterans), or background.

A complaint form and additional information can be obtained by contacting the MPO or at http://www.bostonmpo.org/mpo_non_discrimination. To request this information in a different language or in an accessible format, please contact

Title VI Specialist
Boston Region MPO
10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150
Boston, MA 02116
civilrights@ctps.org

By Telephone:
857.702.3700 (voice)

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· Relay Using TTY or Hearing Carry-over: 800.439.2370

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· Relay Using Text to Speech: 866.645.9870

For more information, including numbers for Spanish speakers, visit https://www.mass.gov/massrelay