Too right they need bodies.
Whether it's a transit or an A Check there is not enough engineering staff to complete all the maintenance required before the bus needs to fly again. So extra time is expended prioritizing and/or stamping off work that should have been completed this time around. It makes us less productive.
Hence you can name the time when you will work OT, if you are that way inclined. But seriously, is that any way to run an A/C engineering business? I don't think so.
Management still haven't woken up to the fact that there aren't hundreds of experienced engineering personnel just waiting at the gates to get in. Until they start offering decent renumeration there never will be. Unfortunately, until management get their eyes off their own bonuses and onto the business QF engineering will only go backwards.
Please don't use the excuse that "it just snuck up on us" like you did with dispatch reliability, M. We warned you before and we have warned you again!!