News

Center Report on Bus Operator Health and Retention Published by TRB

Posted August 2014

Extensive research undertaken by the Transportation Learning Center in the past two years has led to the official publication of TCRP Report 169: Developing Best-Practice Guidelines for Improving Bus Operator Health and Retention. This combined report and practice manual address health and safety issues common throughout the transit industry, and describes approaches that transit organizations in the United States and Canada have taken to address health problems faced by transit employees. The manual is supplemented by a slide show presentation, Making the Case for Transit Workplace Health Protection and Promotion, and an Excel worksheet, Transit Operator Workplace Health Protection and Promotion Planning, Evaluation, and ROI Template. These tools can assist transit agencies and unions in implementing programs to protect the health of bus operators and other transit workers.

This work was made possible by funding from the Transportation Research Board (TRB).  Dr. Robin Gillespie, the Center’s Senior Program Director for Safety and Health, led the core research team that included Xinge Wang, Director of Research and Tia Brown, Project Manager. The electronic copy of Report 169 is available on TRB’s website. For more information on the report or to discuss ways your agency can improve operator retention through health promotion and quality training, contact the Center at info@transportcenter.org.