Analysis of bus transit’s operating labor efficiency using section 15 data.

Operator labor costs are the biggest operating expense category for motor bus transit systems; these costs account for approximately 42 percent of total operating expenses. Thus, if operating labor becomes more cost-efficient, significant overall cost reductions are possible. Operator labor cost per platform-hour or vehicle-operating hour was used as a macro measure of cost efficiency, and this measure was built up gradually from elementary and composite factors. The effect that environmental factors have on operator costs is examined by regressing them on each of the elementary and composite cost-efficiency measures. Using the results of these analyses, transit managers will be able to diagnose and possibly remedy the causes of their labor inefficiency.