What does a Subway and Streetcar Operator do?

Operate subway or elevated suburban trains with no separate locomotive, or electric-powered streetcar, to transport passengers. Day to day that includes work like monitor lights indicating obstructions or other trains ahead and watch for car and truck traffic at crossings to stay alert to potential hazards and Operate controls to open and close transit vehicle doors.

What skills should a Subway and Streetcar Operator put on a resume?

O*NET rates Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Active Listening, Speaking, and Monitoring among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Subway and Streetcar Operator list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Microsoft Office software and Word processing software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Subway and Streetcar Operator work?

O*NET records 31 titles for this occupation, including Light Rail Operator, Rail Operator, Rapid Transit Operator, and RTO. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Subway and Streetcar Operator need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 87% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Subway and Streetcar Operator role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Subway and Streetcar Operator resume example

A resume for a Subway and Streetcar Operator needs to show the work itself: operate subway or elevated suburban trains with no separate locomotive, or electric-powered streetcar, to transport passengers. Day to day that means work like this: monitor lights indicating obstructions or other trains ahead and watch for car and truck traffic at crossings to stay alert to potential hazards; operate controls to open and close transit vehicle doors. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Light Rail Operator
Rail Operator
Rapid Transit Operator
RTO
Train Operator
Combined Rail Operator
Light Rail Train Operator
Light Rail Vehicle Operator
LRV Operator
Streetcar Operator
Transit Operator
Trolley Operator
Electric Motorman
Elevated Motorman
Light Rail Transit Operator
Monorail Operator
Motor Operator
Rail Transit Operator

O*NET records 31 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Monitor lights indicating obstructions or other trains ahead and watch for car and truck traffic at crossings to stay alert to potential hazards.
Operate controls to open and close transit vehicle doors.
Drive and control rail-guided public transportation, such as subways, elevated trains, and electric-powered streetcars, trams, or trolleys, to transport passengers.
Report delays, mechanical problems, and emergencies to supervisors or dispatchers, using radios.
Regulate vehicle speed and the time spent at each stop to maintain schedules.
Make announcements to passengers, such as notifications of upcoming stops or schedule delays.
Direct emergency evacuation procedures.
Complete reports, including shift summaries and incident or accident reports.
Greet passengers, provide information, and answer questions concerning fares, schedules, transfers, and routings.
Attend meetings on driver and passenger safety to learn ways in which job performance might be affected.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Monitor lights indicating obstructions or other trains ahead and watch for car and truck traffic at crossings to stay alert to potential hazards, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Operate controls to open and close transit vehicle doors, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Drive and control rail-guided public transportation, such as subways, elevated trains, and electric-powered streetcars, trams, or trolleys, to transport passengers, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Report delays, mechanical problems, and emergencies to supervisors or dispatchers, using radios, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Microsoft Office software
Word processing software

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Customer-to-operator two-way communication systems
Deadman pedals
Diesel powered train engines
Door opening controls
Electric train engines
In-train public address systems
Multipurpose fire extinguishers
Portable two way radios
Railcar defrosting systems
Streetcars
Track switches
Trolley bell foot pedals

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

route planning
safety compliance
vehicle inspection
logistics
scheduling
DOT regulations

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Operation and Control
02Operations Monitoring
03Active Listening
04Speaking
05Monitoring
06Judgment and Decision Making
07Reading Comprehension
08Service Orientation
09Active Learning
10Complex Problem Solving

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Transportation
Public Safety and Security
Customer and Personal Service
English Language

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

87%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
9%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
5%Some College Courses

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Some Preparation Needed”. These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Common questions

What does a Subway and Streetcar Operator do?: Operate subway or elevated suburban trains with no separate locomotive, or electric-powered streetcar, to transport passengers. Day to day that includes work like monitor lights indicating obstructions or other trains ahead and watch for car and truck traffic at crossings to stay alert to potential hazards and Operate controls to open and close transit vehicle doors.
What skills should a Subway and Streetcar Operator put on a resume?: O*NET rates Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Active Listening, Speaking, and Monitoring among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Subway and Streetcar Operator list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Microsoft Office software and Word processing software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Subway and Streetcar Operator work?: O*NET records 31 titles for this occupation, including Light Rail Operator, Rail Operator, Rapid Transit Operator, and RTO. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Subway and Streetcar Operator need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 87% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Subway and Streetcar Operator role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.