RTD May Lose $5 Million Because of Absenteeism

The Southern California Rapid Transit District was warned Wednesday that it could lose millions of dollars in state funds next year if it does not reverse a growing absenteeism problem among its bus drivers.

The Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, which controls a large share of RTD’s operating funds, voted to issue the warning after hearing a detailed report on a new audit of the huge transit system. Commission staff said the loss could be about $5 million for the next fiscal year.

The commission has the authority to withhold funds , based on state laws calling for reasonable progress in correcting lapses in employee performance.

The vote came after commissioners were informed that absenteeism among Southern California Rapid Transit District bus drivers is 45% worse than the average of several other large transit systems across the nation. RTD drivers average 32 days of unscheduled absences a year, contrasted with an average of 21.7 days for seven other large transit systems surveyed by Price Waterhouse, the consulting firm that conducted the audit. The extent of RTD’s unfavorable contrast with other systems had not been pointed out in reports on the audit released earlier this month by the RTD and the commission. The new survey was conducted by Price Waterhouse after the RTD had disputed an independent finding in July that its absence rate was about 20% higher than other large systems.

Fred Pshyk, a Price Waterhouse consultant, told the commission that the RTD needs to toughen its disciplinary procedures and remove provisions in its union contracts that encourage absenteeism. RTD officials had no immediate comment on the new findings or the commission’s action. But the RTD board has acknowledged that the agency has a major absenteeism problem, costing nearly $24 million a year among all employees. But its request to reopen contract negotiations to address the problem has been flatly rejected by the bus drivers union.

The commission will decide next month to what extent the RTD will have to reduce absence rates to avoid a penalty.