Best Practices in Bus Dispatch

In 2007, the National Center for Transit Research (NCTR) sponsored a study to examine best practices in extraboard operator management.In most transit agencies, extraboard manpower is managed by the dispatch function, but extraboard management is only one of the many aspects of operating a transit system managed by Dispatch.The study for extraboard management revealed a need to have a greater understanding of operational functions within transit systems and to share optimal practices among transit operations personnel.While the similarities of dispatch functions across all transit agencies are well known, the differences in operating policies, procedures, and functions of dispatch have not been well researched or documented.Very little is known about the differences between transit agencies in terms of the manner in which dispatch is structured, the operational practices and procedures that dispatchers follow, and a catalogue of all of the functions of dispatch.17.