OPERATOR ABSENCE IN THE TRANSIT INDUSTRY

Efficiency in the urban public transportation sector has been identified as a major topic of interest and concern by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration. In line with this concern, it has been found that transit management policies need to be evaluated, and if necessary, changed to improve the operations of all types of transit properties. One area of transit management that has been shown to seriously affect efficiency and productivity is management's attempt to deal with the problem of absenteeism. On a nationwide basis, public transportation properties experience tremendous costs associated with excessive levels of bus operator absence. This research examined the problem through an integrated pair of studies. In the first study, the focus was on the organizational level, and 130 bus properties across the country were surveyed in an effort to highlight the organizational characteristics that influence operators' attendance. The second study surveyed over 300 bus operators from ten properties representing a variety of geographic locations and sizes in an attempt to identify individual operators' attitudes and characteristics that correlate with absence. The results suggest that organizational characteristics, such as size of the property, climate, and average age of the operator, together with individual responses, such as job dissatisfaction, job commitment, and various types of stress, contribute to an operator's attendance record. A series of potential programs geared toward reducing operator absence is presented. These programs consist of reducing the perceived size of the organization, more complete recordkeeping of absences, including a feedback component, and workshops for operators to help them cope with job-related stress. These programs were examined from a cost-benefit or utility perspective to determine their anticipated return on investment. A recommendation for a trial implementation of two of the programs is also made.