The use of part-time transit operators is a subject of increasing attention as a means of controlling labor costs and improving transit productivity. Parttime operators can significantly reduce the cost of providing peak-period service because they are subject to less restrictive work rules than are their full-time counterparts: they typically receive no spread or overtime premiums, they almost always receive lower fringe benefits, and they may earn lower wages. Three of four labor contracts permit the use of part-time operators, and one of every twenty operators nationwide is a part-timer. A national perspective on the range and norms of contractual provisions affecting the use of part-time operators is offered. The methodologies used by three transit agencies to assign part-time operators on the basis of existing run cuts, in accordance with the different work rules that govern the use of part-timers at each agency, are presented. The methodologies used by two systems to incorporate part-time operators into automated run-cutting procedures are also presented.

Productivity in the transit industry has become a subject of increasing attention as capital and operating costs have risen and fare-box recovery ratios have fallen in recent years. Transportation wages and fringe benefits account for nearly half of total ope rating costs. Transportation salaries and wages accounted for 32 percent, and fringe benefits another 13 percent, of total 1980 transit operating expenses according to the American Public Transit Association (!). It is logical, therefore, to focus on controlling labor costs in the effort to improve transit productivity.