Nine. It’s been 9 years we’ve been doing the Top 40 Under 40.
Interesting this year, was reading about one of the recipients and her research work on the future of our workforce, which was part of the reason we started the Top 40 in the first place.
“The transit workforce is older than the overall transportation workforce and significantly older than the general working population, so retirements are hitting harder,” said Transportation Learning Center Deputy Director Xinge Wang. “Over a 10-year period, there is a need to hire, train and retain 126 percent of the current workforce in transit. Over 90 percent of them work in frontline operations and maintenance jobs.”
It’s no surprise, we’ve all seen it coming. And we’re seeing news more frequently about service cuts or disruptions due to staff shortages and about not being able to fill positions.
Two of this year’s recipients fell into public transportation when they landed a job while going to school driving a bus for Blacksburg Transit. While some people know they want to work in planning or transportation, oftentimes we hear people unexpectedly land in transit.
In addition to an employee shortage, how transit is evolving with electric propulsion, autonomous technology, the Internet of Things, and the impact of long-over-due infrastructure maintenance means the pressures felt on transit continues to rise.
This list affords us the opportunity to highlight some of the young leaders that are developing progressive ideas to improve transit’s role in their communities. Whether it’s implementing or developing new technologies, increasing operational efficiencies, improving service, leading major infrastructure projects or messaging public transportation’s value to the community, these professionals are an example of how we can face these challenges head on to improve mobility for all.
Our nominations are open for next year. If you or a colleague are making a difference in public transportation and are an example of the leaders making us hopeful about transit’s role in our city’s future , nominate yourself, him or her at surveymonkey.com/r/Top40-2018.
