Subway and Streetcar Operators

Operate subway or elevated suburban trains with no separate locomotive, or electric-powered streetcar, to transport passengers. May handle fares.

The occupation of Subway and Streetcar Operators faces an automation risk of 66.8%, closely mirroring its base risk of 67.5%. This moderately high probability is largely attributed to the routine and predictable nature of many operational tasks involved in running rail-guided public transportation. Advances in automation technology, particularly in the areas of sensor integration, artificial intelligence, and centralized control systems, make it increasingly feasible for machines to handle these essential functions with minimal human supervision. The structured environment of rail transit, with its fixed routes and established safety protocols, further facilitates automation compared to road-based transportation roles. A significant portion of this risk stems from the high automability of specific core tasks. For instance, monitoring lights for obstructions or other trains and watching for traffic at crossings can be effectively managed by automated vision and sensor systems. Similarly, controlling the opening and closing of transit vehicle doors can be precisely automated based on predetermined station stops and passenger activity, reducing reliance on human operators. Finally, the central aspect of driving and controlling subways or streetcars can be delegated to specialized algorithms and automated control systems, as seen in the growing adoption of driverless trains worldwide. These factors collectively drive up the automation potential for this occupation. However, certain tasks remain resistant to full automation, serving as key bottlenecks to a completely operator-free system. Tasks like attending meetings on driver and passenger safety, greeting passengers, providing fare or routing information, and completing reports relying on human judgment and communication skills present greater challenges for automation. These activities often require a degree of originality and adaptability, as reflected by the bottleneck skill scores for originality (2.0% and 1.9%). The interpersonal and situational nature of these responsibilities ensures that, despite substantial automation risk, a human presence may still be required for customer service, safety protocol adaptation, and nuanced decision-making, at least in the near future.