On-Track Transit Labor Costing Software
The On-Track Transit Work Rules, Wages, and Service Analyzer is a sophisticated computer program that allows transit agencies to get quick, accurate forecasts of transit labor costs. It is just for transit. It understands the extraboard, trippers, platform and voluntary overtime, spread penalties, sick leave, FMLA, holiday service, charters, maintenance differentials, and the full range of transit labor rules and benefits. Small transit agencies as well as those with 2000 covered employees, six bus garages and light rail have used the tool successfully.
It can quickly test the effects of proposed changes to transit service, work rules, wages, hiring, absenteeism, or even disciplinary scenarios.
On-Track is comprehensive, accurate, easy-to-use, affordable, and guaranteed.
How On-Track Works
Before On-Track forecasts your agency's costs, it forecasts your agency's staff. It methodically tracks each of your collective bargaining employees over time. Some employees will end their employment in the first few months. Others will retire after many years of service. Others still will go on long-term disability. The model uses your agency's data--with adjustments for changes in wages, retirement benefits, and local area labor conditions--to determine which of your current employees will be on the job at the end of each forecast month. For those employees still working, each added month of service may lead to higher wages, greater vacation allowance, and eligibility for certain benefits. The model captures these effects.
Loss of employees will often--but not always--create a need for new hires. Service levels (by day-of-week and season) also determine this need, as do policies for overtime or the extraboard, and the agency's tolerance for missed trips. Another key factor here is the level of unproductive time, such as for vacations, holidays, safety meetings, sick time, or for any other type of absence. On-Track knows how these factors fit together, and how employees will respond to new labor provisions that can change the amount of pay-to-platform time. The relationships are sophisticated and logical.
On-track is just for transit, and reflects the knowledge and understanding gained from a career in the transit field. Nothing works as well.
On-Track is easy to use
1. Load the background information
We do this for you, using data directly from Trapeze, HASTUS, or other scheduling and payroll systems. We develop this interface as part of our set up, and the one-way data stream to On-Track does not at all interfere with or compromise the operations of these other systems. All the data is easily updatable.
Note that it usually takes us two weeks to set up, customize, and calibrate On-Track for your agency. This includes a few days on-site for final model testing and training.
2. Set the rules
We start you off by filling in tables based on your current labor agreements. Then, when you are ready to test a new rule, wage, service level, quit rate, or hiring scenario, just select the appropriate table and fill-in the user-friendly form. Comment buttons, the comprehensive 45 page user's manual and ongoing free telephone support can guide you through anything that may seem unclear.
On-Track can handle almost all types of transit labor provisions. In the rare case of a work or pay provision that does not fit the standard forms (such as for an unusual performance bonus), we can quickly customize the model.
3. Click
Click to start the forecast. Give a name to the scenario, and then--when the forecast ends a minute or so later--click again to print the results, save the scenario, see a graph of individual cost items, or make a comparison against a previous run. You can easily use the model to find what a new work rule or benefit change would be worth in equivalent wages per hour.
On-Track is affordable--and guaranteed
The cost of a ready-to-use On-Track model is $35,000 (less for agencies with under 100 vehicles in maximum service). This price includes the model, set-up and customization, training, and three years of complete support--including testing and reporting of new scenarios. We will do this support work promptly--even at the feverish pace that often comes with transit labor negotiations. Please also recognize that "scenario" files are portable. We will send you any scenarios that we develop. You can load these on your copy of the On-Track model (select the file name and click "load scenario"). You can likewise send us your scenario files if you would like us to check that your tests are what you intended.
On-Track works . . . for labor negotiations, for budgeting, for determining optimal hiring schedules and distribution of operators among garages. You will be amazed at On-Track's comprehensiveness, ease of use, and overall value for your agency.
Finally, please note that we guarantee your satisfaction. Pay nothing for the model or our time unless you are absolutely convinced that On-Track is more accurate, easier to use, and more sensitive to policy changes than your in-house calculations or any other product or service. On-Track works!
To order or for more information
Please contact Marc Warner at 413 585-5026 or at marc@warnertransportation.com. We would be happy to discuss the model with you, send you a more detailed brochure, or set up a meeting to demonstrate the On-Track model.