Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation: NAICS 485

About the Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation subsector

The transit and ground passenger transportation subsector is part of the transportation and warehousing sector.

The transit and ground passenger transportation subsector consists of these industry groups:

• Urban Transit Systems: NAICS 4851
• Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation: NAICS 4852
• Taxi and Limousine Service: NAICS 4853
• School and Employee Bus Transportation: NAICS 4854
• Charter Bus Industry: NAICS 4855
• Other Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation: NAICS 4859

Workforce Statistics

This section provides information relating to employment in transit and ground passenger transportation. These data are obtained from employer or establishment surveys. The following tables present an overview of the industry including the number of jobs, mass layoffs, data for occupations common to the industry, and projections of occupational employment change.

Employment and Layoffs

Data series	Back data	Jun. 2008	Jul. 2008	Aug. 2008	Sep. 2008
Employment (in thousands)
Employment, all employees (seasonally adjusted)		416.4	417.1	(P) 418.8	(P) 422.6
Employment, nonsupervisory workers		372.2	315.3	(P) 311.0
Layoffs
Mass layoff events		130	54	66
Initial claimants for unemployment benefits		18,206	5,453	6,633
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics, Mass Layoff Statistics)

Extended Mass Layoffs

Data series	Back data	3rd quarter 2007	4th quarter 2007	1st quarter 2008	2nd quarter 2008
Extended mass layoff events		65	7	(P) (1) -	(P) 101
Separations		11,951	4,850	(P) (1) -	(P) 22,581
Initial claimants		10,179	2,518	(P) (1) -	(P) 21,221
Footnotes (1) Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. (P) Preliminary

(Source: Mass Layoff Statistics)

Employment by Occupation

Data series	Employment, 2007
Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists	11,160
Bus drivers, school	162,710
Bus drivers, transit and intercity	60,870
Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance	15,330
Taxi drivers and chauffeurs	74,820

(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)

Projections

For projected (future) employment estimates, see the National Employment Matrix, which includes employment estimates by industry and occupation for transit and ground passenger transportation.

(Source: Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections)

Earnings and Hours

This section presents data on employee earnings and weekly hours. The latest industry averages of hourly earnings and weekly hours for production or nonsupervisory employees are shown. In addition, recent hourly and annual earnings are shown for occupations commonly found in transit and ground passenger transportation.

Earnings and Hours of Production Workers

Data series	Back data	May 2008	Jun. 2008	Jul. 2008	Aug. 2008
Average hourly earnings		$13.76	$14.00	$13.84	(P) $13.95
Average weekly hours		32.7	32.1	31.6	(P) 30.9
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics)

Earnings by Occupation

Data series	Wages, 2007
	Hourly		Annual
	Median	Mean	Median	Mean
Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists	$18.45	$18.52	$38,370	$38,510
Bus drivers, school	$13.04	$13.19	$27,120	$27,430
Bus drivers, transit and intercity	$13.23	$13.89	$27,530	$28,890
Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance	$13.20	$13.85	$27,450	$28,810
Taxi drivers and chauffeurs	$10.35	$11.34	$21,520	$23,590

(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)

Work-related Fatalities, Injuries, and Illnesses

This section presents data for the industry on the number of workplace fatalities and the rates of workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers in transit and ground passenger transportation. An injury or illness is considered to be work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing condition.

Data series	2004	2005	2006	2007
Fatalities
Number of fatalities	85	81	70	(P) 86
Rate of injury and illness cases per 100 full-time workers
Total recordable cases	6.1	6.2	5.4
Cases involving days away from work, job restriction, or transfer	3.6	3.5	3.0
Cases involving days away from work	2.8	2.3	2.2
Cases involving days of job transfer or restriction	0.8	1.2	0.9
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities)

Workplace Trends

This section presents data on the number of establishments in transit and ground passenger transportation.

Establishments

Data series	Back data	1st quarter 2007	2nd quarter 2007	3rd quarter 2007	4th quarter 2007
Number of establishments
Private industry		(P) 17,621	(P) 17,798	(P) 17,962	(P) 17,916
Local government		(P) 1,453	(P) 1,455	(P) 1,451	(P) 1,451
State government		(P) 55	(P) 55	(P) 55	(P) 55
Footnotes (P) Preliminary

(Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages)

Other BLS Resources

Career Guide to Industries

To learn about careers from an industry perspective, see the Career Guide to Industries.

 

Data extracted on: October 08, 2008