MBTA sees bump in bus driver applications following new contract

The MBTA has seen a wave of bus driver applicants after inking a new deal with its largest union and boosting benefits, according to General Manager Phillip Eng.

During an appearance on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” Friday, Eng said the T has seen nearly 400 bus driver applications so far in August, coinciding with the new contract between the transit agency and Boston Carmen’s Union Local 589. 

The four-year labor agreement notably increased bus drivers’ starting hourly wage to $30, up from $22.21. 

“Prior to this contract, a lot of folks had to almost take a pay cut to come and be a bus operator, just as an example,” Eng said. “And imagine the challenge now with all the rising costs of living, and housing, and food costs — just taking care of your family. That’s a tough thing to ask people to do. This contract now puts us on par with a lot of private sector entities that we are competing against.”

And, he continued, “the one beautiful thing that has come out of this right now: In the first 10 days of August, we have seen [a] 129% increase in the applications for bus operators.”

The MBTA has long struggled with staffing and retention, leaving riders grappling with service cuts even as the T doubled down on an “aggressive” hiring campaign. When it comes to bus drivers in particular, the T has been short-staffed for more than a year. 

The T is still looking to grow its ranks; the transit agency is budgeted for 1,916 bus drivers for fiscal 2024, MBTA Chief Workforce Officer Ahmad Barnes told the T Planning, Workforce, Development and Compensation Subcommittee last week. 

That leaves 368 vacancies to fill, he said.

Barnes outlined a number of steps the T is taking to fill those roles, including a bus driver marketing campaign and “hiring on the spot” event. 

Speaking on “Boston Public Radio,” Eng said the new contract helps address many of the recruitment and retention challenges the MBTA has faced — including attrition, which has notably offset some of the T’s hiring gains.

“Being a bus driver, being a motorperson, those are challenging jobs,” Eng said. “Imagine trying to operate a bus in a city as dense as this, with the amount of traffic. But what we’ve done is the contract has incentives for retention to encourage people to stay. It has incentives for people that have stayed longer, longevity payments.”

Abby Patkin

Staff Writer

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.

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