A new report from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) finds that workforce shortages are causing service problems for transportation providers across the country, regardless of the size of their system.
APTA’s report “Transit Workforce Shortage: Root Causes, Potential Solutions and the Road Ahead,” released Monday, looks at not only the causes of the workforce shortages, but the best practices for recruiting, hiring, and retaining transit operations workers.
“Like almost every industry, public transportation is facing a severe shortage of skilled workers, hindering our ability to best serve our communities. This shortage is complex, multifaceted, and connected to changes in the broader culture and economy,” Paul Skoutelas, APTA president and CEO, said. “This workforce shortage is the confluence of multiple factors and successfully responding to it will involve a comprehensive approach.”
The organization found that 96 percent of agencies surveyed reported workforce shortages. Of those, 84 percent said the shortages were affecting their ability to provide service. Although shortages were more pronounced at large urbanized agencies, the report said, agencies across the country reported the shortage has forced changes in service regardless of the agency’s size, ridership or fleet.
To combat the shortages, the report recommended agencies increase compensation, improve worker schedules, create a positive work environment, demonstrate a clear path to promotion or raises, ensure worker safety and provide ongoing training, among other recommendations.
APTA said the Workforce Shortage report was Phase 1 in the organization’s efforts to identify gaps in knowledge on the ongoing workforce shortage. Phase 2, the organization said, will look at agency case studies and frontline worker surveys.