METHOD FOR ESTIMATING THE COSTS OF DRIVERS' WAGES FOR BUS SERVICES

To plan changes in bus transit service it is often necessary to estimate the costs of individual routes. Unfortunately, it is difficult to isolate the cost of one route from the costs of an entire network. A model for estimating only the marginal costs of drivers' wages for individual bus services is presented. The model shows that union work rules and an uneven demand for service influence labor costs, and that the marginal cost of drivers' wages is higher during peak hours than during off-peak hours. The model, developed for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), is used to estimate how much the MBTA would save if any of 12 currently operating routes were dropped. Thie application reveals that the model is simple to use and can be applied by any agency considering increasing or decreasing bus transit service. The results demonstrate that the model is extremely accrate for routes for which the ratio of peak service to base service is similar to the ratio for the entire system. For peak-period-only bus service, or routes offering concentrated service during peak hours, a technique is presenbted for establishing a range in the cost of drivers' wages.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1983/947/947-002.pdf
• Summary URL:
  • https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=METHOD+FOR+ESTIMATING+THE+COSTS+OF+DRIVERS%27+WAGES+FOR+BUS+SERVICES&author=A.+Herzenberg&publication_year=1983
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309036682
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Transit Management and Performance. 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:
  • Herzenberg, Anne
• Conference:
  • 62nd Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia, United States
  • Date: 1983-1-17 to 1983-1-21
• Publication Date: 1983

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 7-14
• Monograph Title: Transit management and services
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 947
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bus drivers; Bus routes; Bus transit; Marginal costs; Mathematical models; Operating costs; Peak periods; Service discontinuance; Work rules
• Identifier Terms: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
• Old TRIS Terms: Bus services
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00389388
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309036682
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-037 821
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Oct 30 1984 12:00AM