Graduation Day for New Group of Bus Operators

Class Is Part of a Push to Rebuild Front Line Workforce in Aftermath of Pandemic-Induced Hiring Freeze Last Year     

New Bus Operators Join 58 Bus Operators and 56 Subway Conductors Who Recently Completed Training 

View Photos from the Graduation Here  

New York City Transit officials celebrated the graduation of 71 newly trained class of bus operators as part of their successful completion of training at the Zerega Training Center in Castle Hill in the Bronx. These operators will help the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) tackle recent crew shortage challenges and bolster the frequency of bus service. This marked the formal end of six weeks of intensive training.  

“By increasing class sizes, improving our recruiting efforts and accelerating hiring without sacrificing safety, we are able to run more buses more frequently,” said Interim New York City Transit President Craig Cipriano. “Our goal is to provide great public transit bus service for our regular riders and for riders returning to the system.” 

“I want to thank this new group of bus operators who are helping address our staff shortages and providing increased service for New Yorkers,” said Acting President at the MTA Bus Company and Senior Vice President at New York City Transit's 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 58 bus operators and 56 subway conductors who recently completed their training, and the hundreds of New York City Transit 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.