November 2021 - 50

[
THE SCHEDULING CONUNDRUM
]
An Easy Flip Switch Does Not Exist
for Complicated Challenges
The question then becomes: How do we move the needle
and start making the necessary changes that improve our agencies,
cities, infrastructure, management and government?
A
Ed Dornheim
Transit Schedule Maker/
Consultant
Naively, and
from my limited
perspective,
I thought the
problem facing
schedulers was
unique to
North America.
T THIS POINT, YOU MAY BE WONDERING
how much more can be written about transit
scheduling. I wonder after every article
if the content is relevant and interesting enough
to make a difference. Will there ever be enough
concern at the upper management and government
level to make the necessary changes that
need to happen? I also know that change does
not occur overnight and that while many of
you might disagree with the following comment,
it has always seemed that our industry
designs things that look great without much
thought of how to maintain them in the long
term. Scheduling software and downstream
software experience the same dilemmas. These
companies are in the software business and are
thrust into the role of scheduling trainers when
that is not their primary goal or job.
A salesperson's job relies on selling their
products, and scheduling software is no exception.
As an industry, we are always trying to
find ways to do more with less and make things
work, even with the odds seemingly stacked
against us. The lure of a cure for one of our
most pressing needs is seductive. How easy a
decision it was for the railroads to transition
from steam to diesel operation. Instead of all
the work and knowledge required to make one
of those behemoths move, a simple flip of the
switch started the engine.
Similarly, the software sales teams have
convinced transit management personnel that
a schedule can be made with a simple flip of the
switch. The computer has simplified some tasks,
from the days of pencil and paper. However, it
has not been the cure that many imagined.
Naively, and from my limited perspective,
Read more from the
Scheduling Conundrum at
MassTransitmag.com/21245498
I thought the problem facing schedulers was
unique to North America. That was until I
started receiving input from schedulers, software
companies and consultants in Australia, United
Arab Emirates, Israel, the United Kingdom,
Poland, Canada and, most recently, Singapore.
50 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | NOVEMBER 2021
55473913 | Olivier Le Moal | Dreamstime
I now have a better understanding that this is a
global problem and much broader than anything
I imagined.
Terance Ng, a transit consultant and former
agency employee in Singapore, recently contacted
me. Much to my surprise, he said that their
schedulers are still working after reaching their
mandatory retirement age because there is no
one to replace them. During our conversation,
he asked if I envisioned an agency that would
oversee, support and educate schedulers. This
type of agency would not reduce but enhance
the consultant's role if they were certified and
offered options that are not currently available
in the industry.
There are plenty of planning consultant
groups out there with plenty of work available.
Planners receive AICP Certification and are recertified
regularly. The testing is not free and
requires some commitment on the part of the
individual. Should schedulers have a similar
requirement?
Another group offering certifications is the
accountants. Each credential has specific educational
and experience requirements and focuses
on the applicant's specific skills. At the end of
the day, the question is-especially since this
problem is worldwide-how do we move the
needle and start making the necessary changes
that improve our agencies, cities, infrastructure,
management and government?
http://www.MassTransitmag.com/21245498 http://www.MassTransitmag.com
November 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2021
