MTA welcomes 90 newly graduated bus operators to the force

A total of 90 newly trained bus operators will join the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) workforce. 

The operators graduated following their successful completion of training at the Zerega Training Center in Castle Hill in the Bronx.  

These operators will help New York City Transit (NYCT) tackle recent crew shortage challenges and bolster the frequency of bus service. This marked the formal end of six weeks of intensive training that began in November. The graduation took place as NYCT Bus and MTA Bus Company combined ridership hovers between 60 and 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels.  

“More bus operators mean more service for New Yorkers at a time when riders are returning to the transit system,” said NYCT Interim President Craig Cipriano. “By improving our recruiting efforts and accelerating the training process, we are able to address the staff shortages that began during the pandemic.”  

“Riders can expect a high level of bus service supported by this new group of bus operators,” added Acting President at the MTA Bus Company and Senior Vice President at NYCT Department of Buses Frank Annicaro. “Our team is committed to doing its part to help bring back New York City.”  

The new employees join the 265 bus operators who recently completed their training, and the hundreds of NYCT workers who are expected to be onboarded in the months ahead — part of a deliberate effort undertaken by the MTA to rapidly grow the number of bus operators, subway train operators and conductors.  

A hiring freeze — necessitated by a fiscal crisis that developed during the pandemic — depleted the ranks of bus operators with many veteran workers retiring or leaving their frontline posts.