The agency is taking multiple steps to recruit and retain more transit operators, but it likely won’t be enough to prevent the agency from having to cut service on some of its bus lines.
Like more than 90 percent of U.S. transit agencies, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is facing a lingering operator shortage. Writing for WHYY, Jordan Levy describes five potential solutions for the agency’s staffing shortage that SEPTA is exploring.
Levy suggests that the agency and/or city could subsidize more operator onboarding costs to reduce the fees bus drivers and other agency staff have to pay to gain the appropriate training and certification, a tactic already in place in cities like Boston and Chicago. This can be achieved through community partnerships like one already created by SEPTA with the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative.
Levy also addresses making work schedules more flexible, addressing operator safety and harassment of operators, and boosting pay and hiring bonuses. SEPTA is implementing changes in each of these areas.
As a less desirable solution, Levy also posits that the agency could, like others, cut service to reduce the need for more operators, a less-than-ideal solution for riders. Levy notes that the latest version of the bus system redesign, which reduces service on some lines, is open for public comment until May.
FULL STORY: 5 potential pathways to solving SEPTA’s chronic operator shortage
Digging Into SEPTA’s Problems
Philadelphia’s transit agency faces some structural challenges as it struggles to reorganize its services and bring back ridership.
Philadelphia Leaders Dream Big With New Transit Plan
The plan, which looks more than two decades into the future, seeks to modernize the city's transit system, address inequities, and improve regional connectivity.
Retro Trolleys Returning to Philadelphia
The freshly restored vintage fleet will maintain service frequency on Route 15 before eventually being replaced by newer models.
‘Forward Together’ Bus System Redesign Rolling Out in Portland
Portland is redesigning its bus system to respond to the changing patterns of the post-pandemic world—with twin goals of increasing ridership and improving equity.
Plan to Potentially Remove Downtown Milwaukee’s Interstate Faces Public Scrutiny
The public is weighing in on a suite of options for repairing, replacing, or removing Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee.
Can New York City Go Green Without Renewable Rikers?
New York City’s bold proposal to close the jail on Rikers Island and replace it with green infrastructure is in jeopardy. Will this compromise the city’s ambitious climate goals?
700-Acre Master-Planned Community Planned in Utah
A massive development plan is taking shape for lakefront property in Vineyard, Utah—on the site of a former U.S. Steel Geneva Works facility.
More Cities Ponder the End of Drive-Thrus
Drive-thru fast food restaurants might be a staple of American life, but several U.S. cities are actively considering prohibiting the development of new drive-thrus for the benefit of traffic safety, air quality, and congestion.
Air Pollution World’s Worst Public Health Threat, Report Says
Air pollution is more likely to take years life off the lifespan of the average human than any other external factor, according to a recent report out of the University of Chicago.
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
