BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The MBTA will increase its sign-on bonus to $7,500 for applicants applying for eligible positions, the transportation authority announced Monday.
The list of eligible positions for the bonus includes bus operators, rail repairers, track laborers, streetcar operators, subway train operators, service technicians, and fuelers. Previously, the MBTA only offered a $4,500 sign-on bonus for new bus operators.
Read More: Bus Driver Hiring Woes Continue At MBTA
The bonus is part of the MBTA's aggressive hiring campaign to counteract a staffing shortage, one of several problems the MBTA has faced in recent months along with track defects, mechanical failures, speed restrictions, and disrupted service.
The announcement also comes the same day as a new report published by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, which said the MBTA has been understaffed for several years, with a high 13 percent vacancy rate in FY 2021.
Even with the hiring blitz, the report said that the MBTA is likely to begin FY 2024 "with staffing levels approximately 20 to 25 percent below what’s required to maintain and operate the core system."
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