Personnel Management Changes

Most (9 of 14) cited management changes as a result of CASD implementation. Among those changes were enhanced abilities of management to monitor driver performance and call booking by period. Table 69 lists major changes cited by respondents.

Table 69 Management Changes

• Hired more personnel

• Pushes drivers harder

• Provides more data for management decisions

• Morale increases from increased productivity

• Can post group performance for competitive atmosphere

Nine of the fourteen respondents said that the way they manage people has changed because of the new system, while two noted that “Nothing has changed”. The responses of those who said that they have changed management techniques ranged from equitable distribution of workload to drivers, to increased data for decision making to tracking on-time performance. Most

comments focused on the increased access to data. These managers noted that they are able to look simultaneously at all levels of the organization to both reward and reorient performance.

Some comments from the survey indicate a range of opinions about how the management of personnel has changed since installation of CASD. While one manager does not see any change in the way his organization is managed, another cites improved use of data and higher driver productivity. The increase in productivity was linked to higher levels of morale in the driver workforce. Another manger noted that the ability to track on-time performance allowed interaction with drivers using timely and specific information, allowing a more productive relationship.

No manager was able to reduce staff size, and one manager noted that increased staff was a significant change at that facility. Over 41% of managers made the decision to hire more

personnel during one of the phases of CASD implementation. Nearly 28% added more full-time staff, and more than 14% hired more temporary staff. Figure 38 displays these changes.

Figure 38 Personnel Changes

Five of the respondents noted personnel changes, but only one manager changed employee levels

because of personnel unable or unwilling to embrace the new technology. In that case, the manager released three dispatchers/schedulers and hired four new staff members. Other respondents added personnel to handle extra volume, but only one operator noted that the extra volume was a direct result of the new system. One site added a new position (systems

maintenance) to handle the increased technology requirements of the new system. Four of the respondents reorganized or renamed jobs in their organization. These changes are intended to allow more people to share in the workload of scheduling and dispatching. No operator was able to reduce the number of personnel on staff as a result of CASD installation.

Every respondent indicated that morale has in some way been affected. Only one respondent indicated that the system had negative effects on morale. The negative morale in that case resulted from increased workload that was a direct result of higher volume following from greater use by the community. No respondent cited the system as having any effect on overall retention levels.

Other reasons cited for morale changes include frustration with the new system’s complications, but the vast majority indicated very positive morale impacts following CASD implementation.

One respondent noted that his staff has been “cheered” because of rider’s comments with respect to on-time performance. One group of employees was initially resistant, but later became

excited as they began to understand the potential of the new system. Another manager noted that his “People liked the new system because it is easy and intuitive, very productive and very fast”.

Another manager said that with this new tool, nearly anyone could be a “great” dispatcher or scheduler (a reference to the difficulty in finding capable dispatchers). A real sign of how morale has changed, said one operator, is heard, rather than seen, in the radio comments between dispatchers and drivers that are now far friendlier.

Although no respondent has undergone dramatic changes in hiring patterns, most managers believe that one result of the new system is to increase the level of technological understanding required of incoming employees. Most will ask for at least some familiarity with the MS Windows operating system. Figure 39 summarizes respondents towards hiring practices.

Personnel Changes

0%

20%

40%

60%

Percent of Respondents

No Change Added FT Personnel Added PT Personnel

Figure 39 Employment Changes

7. Coordination Issues

Very few respondents operate in the brokerage/mobility management environment and so less useful information was developed from this group of questions. Nine of the operators were not using any of the brokerage features of their CASD; none were using the features enough to say that they are really doing “brokerage. When asked, most operators agree that “turf wars” and a desire to protect ongoing operations will always be barriers to coordination efforts. As one operator noted, a major problem in many rural areas is simply that vast geographic areas are not serviced at all by any transit services. Others note that “exclusivity” problems; operators or agencies not wanting to share the potential population are major barriers to incorporating brokerage. This theme is noted in another operator’s comments that “politics and border protection” are serious impediments to consolidated transit efforts.

A common problem is the restrictions imposed on particular vehicles. When an organization initially sets up a paratransit service, it frequently chooses not to operate the service itself, preferring to contract out services to an existing transit provider. In many cases, the agency will lease their vehicles to the contracted agency. As part of the service contract, a significant number of agencies will restrict the use of their leased vehicles only to the support of their targeted population. This may mean that an empty vehicle already on the road, and in the immediate area of a rider needing transportation, may not be authorized to pick up that passenger.

Nearly all of the operators agreed that political issues override many common sense solutions.

“Ownership” and “exclusivity” are often the most contentious issues. Others noted that municipal officials are always “all for an idea so long as the cost is free”.

Employment Practice Changes