Transit Extraboard Management – Optimum Sizing ...

Transit Extraboard Management ?

Optimum Sizing & Strategies Final Report

Project BD#549-23

October 2007

Transit Extraboard Management ? Optimum Sizing & Strategies Final Report

Project #BD549-23 Prepared for the

Florida Department of Transportation Research Center

Prepared by the National Center for Transit Research (NCTR)

Center for Urban Transportation Research University of South Florida

October 2007

Disclaimer The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Florida Department of Transportation.

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1. Report No.

BD549-23/ NCTR 777-07

2. Government Accession No.

4. Title and Subtitle

Transit Extraboard Management ? Optimum Sizing & Strategies

7. Author(s)

Christopher P. DeAnnuntis and William P. Morris

9. Performing Organization Name and Address

National Center For Transit Research (NCTR) Center for Urban Transportation Research University of South Florida ? CUT 100 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Office of Research and Special Programs (RSPA) U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C. 20590

3. Recipient's Catalog No.

5. Report Date

October 2007

6. Performing Organization Code

8. Performing Organization Report No.

10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)

11. Contract or Grant No.

DTRS98-G-0032 BD549-23

13. Type of Report and Period Covered

Final Report

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

Florida Department of Transportation 605 Suwannee Street, MS 26, Tallahassee, FL 32399

15. Supplementary Notes

16. Abstract

The objective of this project is to summarize the process, and develop an application tool to aid small to mid-size transit agencies in managing their extraboard. The application tool is envisioned to work under an Excel environment to allow for easy data entry and model inputs. Additionally, the project will explore practices at the State and Agency level for operator work period rules and experiences.

While transit agencies attempt to employ sufficient regular bus operators to provide scheduled service, they also employ operators to cover work assignments that are temporarily unfilled because of vacations, illness or absences, as well as insufficient manpower, attrition (retirements, etc), or for work that is unassignable/open in the course of normal labor practices. Extraboard operations may be generally defined as the process of utilizing available manpower to perform work assignments in accordance with labor agreement provisions and work rules to ensure the provision of scheduled transit service. The challenge is to assign manpower to open scheduled work, ensuring scheduled service delivery with minimum cost. Significant cost savings can result from proper extraboard management.

Ineffective practices can increase payment of unscheduled premiums and for unproductive

time. Opportunities exist to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of extraboard

management.

17. Key Word

18. Distribution Statement

Extraboard, bus operators, scheduling,

Available to the public through the National

operational issues, operational level model, Technical Information Service (NTIS), 5285

revenue hours

Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161,

(703) 487-4650, , and

through the NCTR web site at



19. Security Classif. (of this report)

20. Security Classif. (of this page)

21. No. of

22. Price

Unclassified

Unclassified

Pages

73

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Problem and Objectives

While transit agencies attempt to employ sufficient regular bus operators to provide scheduled service, they also employ operators to cover work assignments that are temporarily unfilled because of vacations, illness or absences, as well as insufficient manpower, attrition (retirements, etc), or for work that is unassignable/open in the course of normal labor practices. Put simply, an extraboard bus operator is another name for a back up driver. Extraboard operations may be generally defined as the process of utilizing available manpower to perform work assignments in accordance with labor agreement provisions and work rules to ensure the provision of scheduled transit service. The challenge is to assign manpower to open scheduled work, ensuring scheduled service delivery with minimum cost. Significant cost savings can result from proper extraboard management.

Four general parameters define extraboard management: available manpower; open work; labor agreement provisions, and work rules. For any given open work and given available manpower situation, there are normally several alternative decision paths. Such decisions are affected by two conditions: those established by prior actions of the transit system such as scheduling and work force planning; and those that change daily. Both have service delivery and/or financial implications. Opportunities exist to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of extraboard management.

The objective of this research is to summarize the process for and develop an application tool to aid small to mid-size transit agencies in managing their extraboard. The application tool is envisioned to work under an Excel environment to allow for easy data entry and model inputs. Additionally, the project will explore practices at the State and Agency level for operator work period rules and experiences.

Findings

Following a literature review and survey of 35 small, medium-sized and large transit agencies in the United States, NCTR researchers found the following:

? There is not a significant body of research on this topic.

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