When most organizations and agencies invest in a transit simulator, it’s for training purposes. Transit agencies investing in simulation-based training enjoy greater student engagement during training, with better recall and outcomes. For example, after deploying simulation-based training, the LYNX Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority saw a nearly 70 percent decline in accidents on routes with sim-trained Operators. Sim-based training also creates opportunities to allow transit Operators to learn how to safely navigate dangerous low-probability/high-impact driving situations, or practice managing fraught passenger interactions while safely piloting the bus.

But training simulators don’t have to sit idle when you aren’t training. An increasing number of agencies are finding new and expanded uses for their transit simulators.

Using Simulators During the Hiring Process

Transit agencies struggle with burnout, an aging workforce, and high turnover rates. According to one analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data, 20 percent of transit Operators leave less than a year after being hired, and more than 50 percent leave in their first two years. Looking at motor carriers more broadly, these churn rates are even more concerning: In 2019, Commercial Carrier Journal reported that more than half of all Commercial Motor Vehicle drivers leave within 180 days of being hired.

After investing significant resources into recruiting and training new drivers, transit agencies want to be reasonably confident that new hires will stick around. FAAC Transit Business Manager Jason Francisco recalls conversations with transit agency executives about this issue:

“They had this litany of reasons people washed out of training or left after just a few months. For some, it was that they couldn’t handle the customer side. For others, they struggled with the functional side. Either way, they can save themselves so much grief if, right from the start, they can help that applicant see if the demands of operating a bus are what they really want and can do.”

To that end, some transit agencies are beginning to turn to their training simulators during the hiring process. These agencies use their simulators to assess potential new hires’ driving and soft skills before investing in the training process.

Sim-based pre-hire assessments like these provide agencies with a wealth of information about how a job candidate will perform the broad range of challenges that come with driving a mass transit vehicle: critical defensive driving skills, situational awareness, communication, public service, conflict de-escalation, and more. Even more important, it gives the agency another tool to retain a struggling operator. By using the after-action process, trainees can view the bus from different angles and take corrective action to reinforce learning objectives.

Building Awareness With Simulator Demonstrations

Like any other public service, mass transit risks being misunderstood, specifically because it is so familiar. People underestimate how challenging the job is, and stakeholders can struggle to conceptualize what an equipment change (such as shifting to smaller buses or no/low-emissions vehicles) will really mean and feel like.

Some organizations and agencies are now using their training simulators to help build awareness among the public and stakeholders. Training sims can help illustrate the daily challenges mass transit Operators face in a fresh and immersive way. This can become even more important as communities shift to new vehicles. For example, the simulator can help both riders and Operators acclimate to battery electric buses. These newer vehicles have very different dynamics, like acceleration and torque, and rely heavily on variable regenerative braking to extend range. That means the Operator’s driving style needs to adapt, and the rider experience can be very different.

In 2017, when New Flyer (the largest transit bus manufacturer in North America) opened its Vehicle Innovation Center (VIC), it included a FAAC full-size training simulator built to model their sophisticated new Xcelsior® CHARGE battery-electric bus. Today, that simulator does double-duty, as a workforce development and training tool for transit agencies across North America, and as a demo unit, where leaders and stakeholders can directly experience the latest mass transit technology. It’s one thing to say that a zero-emission bus with regenerative braking will feel different from a diesel. It’s quite another to really feel it and understand what the future will be like.

Meet Your Training Needs and Incorporate Innovation

For more than 50 years, FAAC has provided simulation-based turnkey training solutions for transit agencies, public safety, the military, and private industry. In 1999, FAAC created the world’s first immersive bus transit training simulator and has continued to lead the way in partnering with transit agencies to develop and deploy innovative simulation solutions.

Do you have questions or want to discuss changes to your Operator training programs? Feel free to contact us. Our team of experts looks forward to speaking with you.