STRATEGIC TRANSIT WORK FORCE PLANNING MODEL INCORPORATING OVERTIME, ABSENCE, AND RELIABILITY RELATIONSHIPS

The optimal size of a transit operating work force is based on the appropriate amount of overtime that can be requested of the work force. Overtime is typically used to fill in for absent operators if no extra operators are available to do the work on regular time. However, relying more heavily on overtime has two risks. First, no operator may be willing and available to work overtime when it is needed. This will result in missed service and hence poor service quality. Second, operators may be absent more often because they can readily obtain overtime work at a significant wage premium. These interrelationships between overtime, absence, and service reliability are examined, and ways in which they influence the overall work force planning problem are shown. It was found that absence is more a habit than a result of a decision process based on past overtime worked. Strong linear relationship was found between absence and overtime. This result makes it possible to include reliability constraints in the strategic work force planning process by setting an upper limit on the amount of overtime that can be planned for a given period. In addition, a two-stage heuristic is developed for solving the strategic work force planning problem. This heuristic is used in a case study of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus system to show the importance of various policies with respect to work force planning and management.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1993/1402/1402-014.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=STRATEGIC+TRANSIT+WORK+FORCE+PLANNING+MODEL+INCORPORATING+OVERTIME%2C+ABSENCE%2C+AND+RELIABILITY+RELATIONSHIPS&author=Y.+Shiftan&author=N.+Wilson&publication_year=1993
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/03611981
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1402, Public Transit: Current Research in Planning, Marketing, Operations, and Technology. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Shiftan, Yoram
  • Wilson, Nigel
• Publication Date: 1993

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 98-106
• Monograph Title: Public transit: current research in planning, marketing, operations, and technology
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1402
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Absenteeism; Bus transit; Case studies; Heuristic methods; Hours of labor; Mathematical models; Public transit; Reliability; Strategic planning; Workforce
• Identifier Terms: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
• Uncontrolled Terms: Models; Overtime; Service reliability
• Old TRIS Terms: Interrelationships
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Highways; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00641370
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jan 5 1994 12:00AM