Transit Workforce Dashboard Promotes Employment in Public Transit

A new online dashboard from the Transit Workforce Center compiles a wealth of data about public transit workforces as part of an effort to help agencies attract and retain workers. “The dashboard creates a one-stop shop for ‘visualizations and digestible information about the transit workforce’ that will be continually updated, the Transit Workforce Center said.”

As Dan Zukowski explains in Smart Cities Dive, since the beginning of the pandemic, working conditions have worsened dramatically for many transit operators. “Existing skilled workers are leaving transit jobs, frustrated by inflexible schedules, low wages and few opportunities for professional growth. Physical attacks on bus drivers became more common beginning in the 2010s and increased at the start of the pandemic.”

Zukowski adds that “TWC projects that 13.2% of bus drivers will leave the role each year from 2021 to 2031. By 2030, transit and intercity bus systems will have to fill 233,000 bus operator positions, with 220,000 of those hires needed to replace drivers who leave or retire.” The dashboard is designed to provide a nationwide directory of information and help agencies illustrate the benefits of working in public transit.