Spring 2022 – Miami

TFLEx Spring 2022 Workshop
Navigating the Post-COVID Financial Landscape
Miami, Florida
April 10-11, 2022

Program Content/Learning Objectives

The effects of Covid on the transit industry have been profound – steep declines in ridership as jobs are lost and workers transition to telecommuting, commensurate declines in fares collected, and increasing difficulty in hiring and retaining staff (particularly operators).   Transit agencies will need to rethink how to bring back riders and how they fund operations going forward.  This workshop will have sessions geared to: 1) How member agencies are working to attract and retain both operational and administrative staff; 2) review of issues related to the “new commute” for both their staffs and their riders; and, 3) discussion of industry trends related to fare policies, including fareless initiatives.  After attending this conference, participants will be able to:

• Work with their own agency to identify and promote methods for hiring and retaining both operational and administrative staff.
• Identify issues related to telecommuting and the new commute in the post Covid world.
• Share information on issues related to fare policies, particularly fare-less initiatives.
• Identify and share best practices through ”Needs & Leads”

The main topic for the workshop was Navigating the Post-COVID Financial Landscape. In attendance, were members from:

• Central Ohio Transit Authority
• Dallas Area Rapid Transit
• Foothill Transit
• Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston METRO)
• Miami-Dade Department of Transportation & Public Works
• OCTA (Orange County)
• Regional Transportation Authority (Chicago)
• Regional Transportation District (Denver)
• Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Bus Operator Recruitment – Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works

Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) has a critical need to hire qualified bus operators to improve the level of bus service we offer and continue to strengthen our transit system. This presentation reviews the national labor market conditions, the increased competition for drivers, and Miami-Dade’s operator requirements and benefits offered. The multi-department campaign to address operator recruitment is outlined.

Remote Work/Telecommuting Policy Panel – Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and Foothill Transit

OCTA and Foothill Transit presented and compared their remote work policies and shared observations on their experience this last two years during COVID.

TFLEx Ridership Survey – All TFLEx agencies

This is a benchmarking effort by the TFLEx member agencies of performance metrics for the last 10 years. There are a few bright spots, but most areas are down, way down. There was discussion during the conference about looking for new/additional metrics for measuring success.

Fare Policies for the New Commute – Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works

A presentation by Robert Villar, Assistant Director of Finance, providing a brief profile of Miami-Dade and their fare modernization program, as well as how they dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. One problem they had to deal with was how to reinstate fare after they were suspended for fourteen months.