SEPTA Railcar Operator.
 |
What do transit authorities like SEPTA, MBTA, MTA and BART have in common other than transporting thousands, even millions of riders every day? All were recently ranked as four of the U.S.’s
500 “Best Employers” by Forbes magazine.
SEPTA, MBTA, MTA and BART were among 25 organizations included in Forbes’ “Transportation & Logistics” category, along with Southwest Airlines, Amtrak, CSX, Union Pacific and Greyhound. In fact, SEPTA (#33) and MBTA (#49) placed higher than Apple (#55) and SEPTA was the highest ranked company in Pennsylvania.
“We’ve known for years that mass transit is one of the best industries in which to work,” said SEPTA GM Joseph M. Casey. “The Forbes list confirms this for the rest of the country.”
SEPTA Paratransit Vehicle Operator.
 |
The Forbes rankings are derived from an online survey of 20,000 American workers. Respondents gave their opinions of their employers and other companies in their industries. According to Forbes, Statista, a firm that partnered with the publication, used the survey data to form a list of 3,500 employers “for whom there was a statistically relevant result." The list of 3,500 was then narrowed down to the 500 companies on the “Best Employers” list. In all, the 500 companies ranked by Forbes comprise 24 categories, ranging from “Media & Advertising” and “Health Care Equipment and Services” to “Education” and “Drugs and Biotechnology."
SEPTA Ticketing Agent.
 |
Mass transit has so many career paths for employees — more than the public might think. Of course the operations staff — engineers, conductors, operators and mechanics — are the “driving” force of a transportation organization. But there are job opportunities in fields such as finance, engineering, government affairs and law enforcement, too.
In addition to offering a variety of work prospects, transportation authorities often have long-term employees, proving the companies to be more stable than those in other industries. In its 9,000-person organization, SEPTA has many staff members who have been with the authority for well over 30 years, including Casey, who joined SEPTA in 1982. That speaks volumes to the pride employees have in the organization, their dedication to their fields and their enjoyment of their jobs.
SEPTA travel training.
 |
Public transit is a necessity and the rewards of working in the industry are many.
A recent headline in the Chicago Tribune read: “Driverless cars may make traffic worse, not better.” The same week, the BBC ran a story titled, “How the internet is clogging up city streets.”
The driverless option will severely impact the four million commercial drivers working in the U.S., according to a 2014 Goldman Sachs report. These figures suggest the loss of 25,000 jobs per month during the height of the autonomous vehicles saturation into the industry.
Transit facilities — train stations, bus depots and transportation centers — are often the shelter of choice for people experiencing homelessness, especially when weather conditions make it too dangerous to stay outside.
Startups and legacy industries are harnessing big data to transform and revolutionize the ways their services are offered. Among the sectors sitting on the richest mines of data is public transportation, with municipalities and service providers boasting decades of data on urban transportation and mobility.
This technology will forever change transportation on a local level and national scale; the time is ripe for public transit agencies and OEMs to be more visible in shaping the outcome of these discussions, regulations, and laws.