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2013 BUS MAINTENANCE SURVEY: Photo courtesy DART Shops Seeing Electrical Issues, Need for Training Grow METRO's third annual survey finds that despite the growth in problems and lack of training, many agencies are not exploring a switch to all-electrical components. Revamped for 2013, the survey also includes information on fleet size and propulsion most often maintained, as well as amount of training and sources used to deliver that much needed education. d BY ALEX ROMAN, Managing Editor iagnosing and repairing electronics and electrical systems is the number one issue for maintenance shops in North America, according to METRO's Bus Maintenance Survey, with technicians saying they need more training in this area. Issues with engines/transmissions came in second, with last year's top issue, parts, which includes availability, lead times and frequent failures, dropping several slots to No. 7. Meanwhile, training, with a large number of agencies reporting a growing need as turnover rates continue to grow due to retirement, comes in 28 < mETRO mAGAZINE MAY 2013 as the sixth greatest issue on the list of top shop challenges. In a complete reversal from last year, where 60% said they are exploring such a move, 62% of the feets who responded to the survey say their agency is not considering a switch to buses with all-electric components. For the third year, METRO sent out its survey to even more maintenance shops, expanding its reach to almost 400 professionals, spanning a wide demographic consisting of large metropolitan to small and rural transit agencies as well as university-focused systems, and doubling last year's numbers in both scope and response along the way. Questions covered topics ranging from feet size to type of propulsion used and hours-of-training provided per year to how that training is delivered. Other questions touched on top shop issues and what parts are bought most often. Agencies varied in feet size, with the largest maintaining 5,695 buses and the smallest fve, with the mean boasting a feet of 335 buses. Meanwhile, respondents' salary levels ranged from a high of $181,750 to a low of $44,000, with the mean earning $76,172. metro-magazine.com