Dive Brief:
- Recruiting and retaining public transit drivers and keeping them safe ranked as the top concern among transit leaders in North America according to a report released today from Optibus, a software platform for public transportation planning and operations.
- Transitioning fleets to zero emissions, providing real-time monitoring tools and adopting artificial intelligence were other key priorities, challenges and investment trends for the industry, according to the survey of 231 senior transportation professionals in North America, Europe, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.
- The concerns come as U.S. transit ridership remains down compared with pre-pandemic levels and the Trump administration implements new transportation project funding priorities.
Dive Insight:
Many aspects of public transit have undergone changes since the COVID-19 pandemic that emerged about five years ago. Ridership nationally in the U.S. has only recovered to about 80% of pre-pandemic levels, and travel patterns have changed, with increased demand at night and on weekends. Labor shortages persist, with some transit agencies offering hiring and retention bonuses.
Transit operators, agencies, authorities and others responding to the survey said electrification of bus fleets will become a critical goal within the next five years, but they cited infrastructure delays, funding shortages and regulatory issues as major challenges to the transition.
Technology investments came next in North American survey respondents’ priorities. Lack of real-time monitoring of transit vehicles costs money and leads to service disruptions, fines and costly fixes, the report states. While 38% of North American organizations in the survey have piloted AI tools, just 12% are using artificial intelligence and seeing measurable results.
For 2025, 49% of U.S. and Canada transit providers said they will prioritize advanced passenger information systems. Other key technology investments for transit leaders globally will include real-time monitoring, mobile payments, passenger information systems, driver safety tools and analytics.
The Optibus report makes recommendations in each of the four priority areas for transit providers:
- Offer flexible scheduling, part-time work, real-time shift management tools, driver safety technologies and improved pay transparency and management to improve driver recruitment, retention and safety.
- Work with governments and utility providers to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure and fast-charging hubs along bus routes. Also, consider weather, charging schedules and driver shift changes for better EV management.
- Use AI to improve demand forecasts and optimize schedules; provide real-time passenger information and mobile ticketing options.
- Proactively address the cybersecurity risks of these new technologies.
“By addressing driver safety, electrification barriers, passenger experience, operational efficiency, and cybersecurity, public transportation agencies can improve service reliability and long-term sustainability,” the report concludes.
