Scheduling Efficiency Review: Improve Performance Without Compromise
Transit agencies across North America are under growing pressure to do more with less. While scheduling is central to cost control, service quality, and workforce satisfaction, its full strategic value often remains untapped.
Outdated practices and processes that once served your organization may now be preventing your ability to effectively respond to emerging challenges such as rising costs, workforce shortages and evolving service expectations, as well as hindering your ability to follow new strategic directions set by leadership.
Scenarios Your Team Might Be Facing Today
Economic Pressures
Rising operational costs and funding constraints are forcing your organization to look for efficiency gains that don’t compromise service quality or the well-being of drivers.
Workforce Shortages
Recruiting and retaining drivers is increasingly difficult, as job conditions no longer meet rising expectations for work-life balance and more desirable shifts.
Upcoming Changes
Major initiatives such as network redesigns, fleet electrification, or new labor rules require a fresh look at scheduling practices to ensure they are optimized and prepared for future demands.
Upcoming Software Upgrade
Your agency has a HASTUS system upgrade planned in the next 12 to 24 months; now is the ideal time to review your scheduling practices to fully leverage the system’s future capabilities.
Strategic Shifts
Transitions like new leadership, evolving priorities, or structural changes create a timely opportunity to rethink scheduling and align it with your organization’s long-term vision.
Loss of Key Staff
The departure of a senior scheduler can expose gaps in expertise and institutional knowledge, but also creates an opportune moment to revisit your scheduling practices.
Discover the Untapped Value of Scheduling
Our Scheduling Efficiency Review offers a comprehensive, 360-degree audit of your entire scheduling function, from software usage and configuration to scheduling processes, staff skills, roles and responsibilities, and coordination with Planning and Operations teams.
Led by CSched’s most experienced schedulers, we work closely with your team to challenge the status quo, benchmark against industry best practices, and uncover innovative opportunities to improve cost efficiency, service quality, and driver quality of life.
Within three months, your team will receive a detailed recommendations report, fully adapted to your network and ready to inform immediate action. Our approach is practical, data-driven, and designed to address the specific realities of your scheduling environment.
Three Steps to Scheduling Excellence
1. Discovery phase
We begin with a full diagnostic of your scheduling ecosystem, combining a technical review of your HASTUS environment with rocesses analysis and interviews. We benchmark your current performance using key indicators, in order to provide a clear starting point for targeted, high-impact improvements.
I do think the process was very positive and overall productive. The people did not feel threatened in their role. It was looked at as an opportunity to show what they know and learn something new.
Kristin Thompson
Director of Asset Management, Minneapolis Metro
2. HASTUS Simulations
Building on the audit results, we develop and test alternative scheduling scenarios in HASTUS to demonstrate potential gains. Using real data and your baseline KPIs, we simulate targeted improvements. Each scenario is measured for its impact on cost, labor needs, and driver quality of life.
The most promising options are selected in collaboration with your team and prepared for operational review.
3. Implementation
Following the simulation phase, your organization will be provided with two paths to move forward with the recommendations report, or the option to combine both.
A) Tailored Support for Internal Implementation
If you choose to implement the changes internally, CSched offers “à la carte” support to help your team succeed. Whether through fundamental scheduling training, advanced workshops, or one-on-one coaching, our flexible approach allows you to build the right capabilities at the right pace.
B) Rent-a-Scheduler for Faster Results
For agencies looking to accelerate implementation, Rent-a-Scheduler provides immediate access to experienced schedulers who can apply the recommended changes directly within your environment. This option delivers fast, expert execution while allowing your team to learn without increasing their workload.
CSched’s training approach is very personable, approachable, and effective. The scheduling staff greatly prefers working with CSched because of that. CSched brings the knowledge that they’ve learned from other properties and show us how to apply it in the software.
Mr. Shaun Morrell
Manager of System Support, Minneapolis Metro
The Advantages of CSched's Scheduling Efficiency Review
Dedicated Scheduling Experts
The review is led by senior specialists with deep transit scheduling experience, garnered through years of hands-on work with agencies of all sizes across North America and beyond.
Immediate Gains,
Lasting Impact
We deliver quick wins in cost efficiency, while building a foundation for long-term improvements and smarter scheduling decisions.
A Scheduling Efficiency Review conducted 10 years ago sparked Metro Transit’s scheduling transformation and improvements they benefit from to this day.
Proven Methodology
Grounded in tested scheduling principles and best practices, our approach provides clear, objective benchmarks for your scheduling function along with actionable recommendations.
HASTUS Mastery
As the sole North American sub-licenser of the HASTUS software, we know its capabilities inside and out. Through our expertise we identify underused features and configuration gaps so your agency can fully leverage its investment and maximize impact.
Before the audit, the Metro Transit Scheduling Team acknowledged utilizing roughly 40% of the HASTUS software’s features, which represented a significant financial commitment that was underutilized.
Michel Courval
CEO, CSched
Outperforming Mindset
In every audit we’ve conducted, CSched has identified clear opportunities to improve scheduling and delivered meaningful gains without compromising service quality or workforce well-being. This consistent impact reflects our passion for excellence and has earned us the trust of long-standing transit partners across North America.
Following a Scheduling Efficiency Review, King County Metro achieved over $20 million in annual recurring savings (validated by an external auditor)
Unlock Your Potential. Achieve More.
With the right insights and expert support, your agency won’t have to choose between service quality, workforce well-being, and financial sustainability. CSched helps you harness the full potential of your scheduling function and transform it into a strategic asset that supports every aspect of your operation.