What is required for a job as an MBTA Subway Operator (Motorman)

Apply for train service or mechanical.

This isn't a comment about any specific employer in transportation or rail service, but as a whole, these are industries facing massive demographic "bubbles" which are about to burst - large percentages of their workforces are approaching retirement, just as is happening throughout the nation. I doubt there is a major employer out there (public sector or private) who isn't looking at a lot of operating employees rapidly approaching retirement. If this is what you want to do, get in now through whatever channel makes sense for the employer you choose (i.e., bus operator or light rail operator for the MBTA, assistant conductor for Amtrak or Keolis, etc), since most workforces should see a lot of turnover in the coming years. The sooner you get in, the sooner you can build seniority as older workers retire.

I wasn't aware that the aging in industry is that severe, thanks for the excellent advice! an aging workforce always ensures that you have a better chance to be hired

octr202 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 11, 2022 8:50 am This isn't a comment about any specific employer in transportation or rail service, but as a whole, these are industries facing massive demographic "bubbles" which are about to burst - large percentages of their workforces are approaching retirement, just as is happening throughout the nation. I doubt there is a major employer out there (public sector or private) who isn't looking at a lot of operating employees rapidly approaching retirement. If this is what you want to do, get in now through whatever channel makes sense for the employer you choose (i.e., bus operator or light rail operator for the MBTA, assistant conductor for Amtrak or Keolis, etc), since most workforces should see a lot of turnover in the coming years. The sooner you get in, the sooner you can build seniority as older workers retire.

Commenting with experience here, at Amtrak in Boston since the pandemic started, we have lost a lot of our workforce weather it's from the contract buyouts or from retirement, but either way we are operating at a far less reduced workforce and there's no end in sight when we will be adding to that. The adage is if you could perform you duties at the same level pre-pandemic but with a reduced workforce now, why should we hire to replace the people we lost

I think the biggest thing coming in is a clean driving record (no traffic tickets, accidents, or court cases). After that if you have any sort of professional experience operating a vehicle that is going to help you (obviously even better if the vehicles are large and your cargo is passengers). Right now it seems that almost every agency in the US is short on bus operators so that might be a good place to start if you can't get something . Here's a link to the T's hiring page, there's no lottery anymore they just periodically post job openings and you apply to what you're interested in. https://www.mbta.com/careers Good luck!