Buses, subways, light rail, streetcars, and even cable cars: the people who run, fix, and plan the systems that move millions of riders every day.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
Transit Agency General Manager: Leads a city or regional public transit agency with buses, trains, and thousands of employees. Typical pay $220k.
Transit Operations Director: Runs daily bus or rail service for a transit agency: operators, schedules, safety, and on-time performance. Typical pay $135k.
Transit Systems Engineer: Engineers the vehicles, power systems, and controls for subways, light rail, and electric bus fleets. Typical pay $112k.
Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship
Subway / Light Rail Operator: Drives subway, light rail, or streetcar trains through a city, opening doors and keeping passengers safe. Typical pay $82k.
Transit Bus Operator: Drives city buses on fixed routes, helping riders and keeping to a schedule. Typical pay $58k.
Transit Bus Mechanic: Repairs city buses, including newer battery-electric and hydrogen buses. Typical pay $65k.
Rail Transit Controller: Monitors and directs every train in a subway or light rail system from a central control room. Typical pay $85k.
Transit Service Planner: Designs bus and train routes and frequencies so transit gets people where they need to go. Typical pay $80k.
Transit Scheduler: Builds the timetables and assigns the work shifts ('runs') for bus and train operators. Typical pay $72k.
Bus Operator Instructor: Trains new bus drivers and retrains veterans on safety, customer service, and handling large vehicles. Typical pay $64k.
Fare Collection Equipment Technician: Repairs the ticket machines, card readers and fare gates in subway stations and on buses. Typical pay $65k.
Heritage Streetcar Mechanic: Keeps 100-year-old streetcars running on city lines like New Orleans and San Francisco, often making parts by hand. Typical pay $70k.
Automated People Mover Technician: Maintains the driverless trains that carry travelers between airport terminals and around some downtowns. Typical pay $75k.
Starter: fastest way in
Paratransit Driver: Drives wheelchair-accessible vans that take riders with disabilities door to door. Typical pay $40k.
School Bus Driver: Drives students safely to and from school and on field trips. Typical pay $47k.
Intercity / Motorcoach Driver: Drives long-distance buses between cities or charter coaches for tours, teams, and events. Typical pay $52k.
Transit Station Agent: Helps riders in subway and train stations with fares, directions, and emergencies. Typical pay $50k.
Transit Ambassador: Unarmed staff who ride trains and patrol stations to help riders, connect people to services, and improve safety. Typical pay $42k.
Aerial Tramway / Gondola Operator: Runs aerial tramways and gondolas that carry riders over rivers, cities, or mountains, like Portland's tram or NYC's Roosevelt Island tram. Typical pay $42k.
Transit Dispatcher: Sends out buses and drivers, handles breakdowns and detours, and keeps service running on time. Typical pay $50k.
Fare Inspector: Rides trains and buses checking that riders have paid, and helps riders with questions. Typical pay $38k.
Bus Service Attendant: Fuels, cleans, and checks buses every night so they are ready for the morning. Typical pay $36k.
Transit Travel Trainer: Teaches people with disabilities, older adults and new immigrants how to ride buses and trains on their own. Typical pay $50k.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.