TORRANCE, Calif. -- More than 70 percent of the people who work in public transportation, including employees at transit systems, motorcoach companies, school bus operations, manufacturer/suppliers, contractors, consultants, state DOTs and the like, are either "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their jobs, according to a survey.

The study of nearly 2,500 people was conducted by TransitTalent.com to gauge the job satisfaction level of individuals working in public transportation.

Although the greatest number of responses came from top executives (nearly 20 percent), responses also were received from employees in such departments as accounting, communications, engineering, finance, human resources, planning, marketing, risk management and safety.

Among the key findings:

Nearly three-quarters of the respondents (72.3 percent) said they are either "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their jobs. Two of five (41.8 percent) said they were "very satisfied." Only 4.8 percent said they were "not satisfied."

Slightly more than 7 of 10 (70.6 percent) said they work in the industry due to "accidental" circumstance rather than long-term planning. Less than 12 percent said they planned to enter a career in public transportation while they were still in school.

"Challenging work" was the most widely chosen factor in job satisfaction, followed by "work/life balance" and "public service." "Pay" ranked relatively low. It was chosen by only 4.9 percent as the key to job satisfaction.

More than half (54.2 percent) believe they are fairly compensated relative to others in public transportation. About a quarter (27.6 percent) said they are not. The rest (18.3 percent) were unsure.

An e-mail invitation and survey link was sent to about 10,200 people. Most of those targeted for the survey work for organizations or companies that are members of the American Public Transportation Association, the United Motorcoach Association and the American Bus Association. Responses were received from 2,449 people, for a 24 percent response rate.

"Overall, the survey suggested to me that people who enjoy public service will be satisfied with a career in public transportation," said Steve Hirano, the principal of TransitTalent.com and who conducted the survey.

For more information, contact Hirano at TransitTalent.com; phone (310) 375-6413 or e-mail steve.hirano@TransitTalent.com.