Identifying transit driver preferences for work shift structures: An econometric analysis. http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/trsc.1070.0199

Abstract

The combination of a strict labour legislation and the existence of daily and weekly demand seasonality, has meant that transit companies may suffer significant inefficiencies; indeed, as more drivers are hired than the minimum required to provide the service at off-peak periods, many drivers tend to be inactive. To attack this problem two strategies have been proposed. The first is to use flexible shifts that may change from day to day according to a predefined contract. The other is to use splits shifts in which driver’s working hours are split into two in order to serve both peak periods. However, evidence of driver acceptance of these strategies is lacking.
This paper presents a methodology to identify the characteristics of a shift that are important for drivers (considering their socioeconomic characteristics) and to quantify their impact. Such information would allow transit operators to offer better working shifts to their drivers with mutual benefits. The approach includes estimation of a Mixed Logit model based on Stated Preference data for choice of working shift; the context definition, shift attributes and in general the experimental design, were quite involved. A sample of 436 drivers working at two important operators in Santiago was interviewed. Our modelling results show considerable heterogeneity in drivers’ preferences and also that a significant number of them would be prepared to participate in flexible shifts. Our method allows operators to determine the economic incentive they should attach to such shifts to be accepted by the required fraction of their drivers.