Operations
Planning
I came across a startling statistic the other day: 20% of transportation candidates don't show up on their first day, and another 35% resign during the probationary period.
Thats wild bruh.
This means that if I have a class of 5 drivers, there's a very high risk of losing at least two of them.
By now, I'm sure everyone is aware of the massive driver and mechanic shortage. Nearly 84% of the top 50 transit agencies reported shortages in 2023. The situation has been getting slightly better, well sort of. But only If you have the budget, you can 'pay to play' and effectively buy talent by making them offers they can't refuse.
While that's a valid strategy, my experience in transit has taught me that if salary is the sole motivation for taking this job, you often end up with low-quality bus operators. Joy cannot be quantified; numbers are infinite and endless. I discuss this concept extensively in an article titled 'Golden Handcuffs.'"
I say this to highlight that while a big payday can bring people in the door, it’s often not enough to keep them. When the work lacks joy, purpose, or a sense of value, even a high salary starts to feel empty.
But any who, how can we get those percentages down? There will always be attrition of sort in any line of work, its apart of the game. But how can we build something more sustainable in our industry with breaking the bank?
Bring Back Part Time
Around the mid-2010s, many agencies began phasing out part-time positions. On the Government side, state-run agencies faced "pin" shortages, while on the private side, entities hesitated to double or triple candidate numbers for the same job.
Here’s the thing: Transit is a tough gig. New candidates are heavily supported during training, with their hands held through every process. But once they graduate, they're immediately thrust into the most challenging hours and shifts.
Think of it like this: In 2018, I got married, bought a home, and had a baby simultaneously. It sounded great on paper but was incredibly challenging in reality, especially when you're trying to bring them all together at the same time. If you've experienced any of these life events, you know how difficult that curve can be—adjusting to rapid life changes requires time, patience, and support. This is the experience we give our new talent.
Transit is hard, no doubt about it. However, it becomes even tougher when new hires face a system where seniority heavily favors others. Consider this: in our line of work, only the most senior and experienced individuals get the easier tasks. In industries like medicine, law, sales, and real estate, rookies aren't typically assigned the most challenging responsibilities.
Throwing candidates directly into full-time roles without easing them into the transit lifestyle prevents them from adapting. Training focuses on safety but neglects the lifestyle aspect, leading to overwhelming frustration and high turnover.
I personally benefited from starting part-time at MDOT for my first four months. It made a significant positive impact on my career because it allowed me time to learn the job and lifestyle. Tough passengers and difficult schedules are more manageable when there's a gradual adjustment period.
Train For Life
One of the key focuses here at Transit Gigs is lifestyle. It's an initiative where we prioritize helping people live their lives to the fullest. Our belief is that by nurturing better individuals, improved job performance naturally follows. We've provided childcare resources, financial literacy classes (to avoid Golden Handcuffs), company events, and are in the process of hiring a nutritionist to enhance physical health. Additionally, we uphold a Sabbath rule—no one works more than six consecutive days without rest. We also have a company Pastor who supports spiritual growth and provides emotional support. Recently, when one of our drivers was hospitalized for a non-transportation-related issue, our Pastor was the first person at their side.
As I mentioned earlier, transit training often overlooks the essential aspects of living a transit life and now we are seeing the unfortunate results. For decades, the transit industry has hidden behind the notion that "this job isn't for everyone." While that may be true to an extent, those suitable for this job are becoming scarce, especially with another 60% of workers set to retire in the coming years. The "everybody" that this job is for is slowly becoming harder to find
I frequently emphasize that transit accidents are at an all-time low in our industry, indicating that safety is under control. However, we're grappling with issues like morale and culture. Speaking from experience, physically driving the bus is straightforward; the real challenge lies in navigating the lifestyle demands of a transit worker. This is where we should focus our resources and investments.
Introduce a Flex-Work initiative
You know, at 35, I'm actually the oldest person at Transit Gigs. Most of the Gigabytes are under 30, and let me tell you, they love posting everything on Instagram. It's annoying and I don't quite get it, but hey, that's just how things are these days, right? 😄 But seriously, being around these younger folk gives me a unique pathway into their minds—what drives them, what they're looking for in opportunities.
How they think, what makes them click. In that I've seen up close how they value platforms, customizable experiences. It's what they've grown up with—everything is about making life fit them, not them fitting life. Their social feeds, algorithms, even food experiences all cater to them the induvial.
Transit, on the other hand, can feel like a rigid assembly line sometimes. All for one and one for all sort of gig.
These kids aren't wired for that kind of straight path. They've got individual goals and dreams; jobs are just a means to an end until they can reach those dreams. It's a different mindset compared to my grandfather's generation, where work was often a lifelong commitment.
But here's the thing—you can harness this mindset. I always say, look at Amazon—they've got crazy expectations, yet people flock to them. Uber's just a cab service, but they've got no shortage of drivers. Why? Because they offer flexible platforms where workers have choices.
Here's a cool story for you: in this photo, four of these guys are sole proprietors. They've got their own gigs going on—one's a firefighter, another's a personal trainer, there's one who owns a security company, and one's a college football player. They're the best team in Transit, even though they're not "transit lifers."
Life consuming work just doesn't fly in 2025 with these new cats. This generation wants freedom, they want to fit their job around their life, not the other way around. But this isn't impossible, need I remind you transit operates around the clock. This is where flexible work can be a powerful tool.
Transit's been talking about "flexible hours" forever, but let's be real—being stuck on the extra list or getting the short end of the stick due to seniority isn't flexibility at all.
We need to build real, flexible opportunities where people can shape their job to fit their lives. That's how we don't just reduce turnover; we eliminate it
