From the Hiring Floor to the Bus Depot: How Emerge Career and the MTA Are Building a Real Pipeline

Shariza Baksh-Ramroop didn't leave our recent NYC hiring event with a stack of business cards to follow up on someday. She left with 10 resumes in hand and 5 Emerge graduates already moving through MTA's hiring process. Hear directly from Shariza in the video below — she'll tell you exactly what she came looking for, and what she found.

Three Hired. More Coming.

This moment didn't happen overnight. The MTA has already hired three Emerge Career graduates, and Shariza's decision to come back to our hiring table reflects something more than goodwill — it reflects a relationship built on results.

When she walked through the room, she wasn't browsing. She was recruiting. She reviewed 10 resumes from Emerge graduates and advanced 5 candidates directly to MTA's hiring center. That's a 50% conversion rate in a single afternoon — and a signal that our graduates are showing up prepared.

Four Candidates on the Fast Track

Of those five, four were routed straight into MTA's bus operator interview process — because they already held their CDL.

That's the pipeline working exactly the way it's supposed to. Emerge Career graduates with a commercial driver's license are walking into one of the most in-demand roles in New York City's public transportation system.The current minimum starting salary for an MTA bus operator is $26.19 per hour, rising to $37.42 by year six — with benefits that include a pension plan, comprehensive medical coverage, night and weekend differentials, and paid holidays.What makes MTA's hiring model especially powerful: they run on-site events with their exam unit and credentialing team present, enabling same-day hiring decisions. When a candidate walks in with a CDL already in hand, that timeline accelerates even further. Four of our graduates are living proof of that.

Beyond Bus Operations — A Wider Door Than Most People Think

Shariza doesn't just recruit for the driver's seat. She supports MTA's System Safety and Communications departments — and at this event, she identified strong Emerge candidates for both. That's the kind of moment that happens when a recruiter who takes the work seriously meets graduates who show up with the credentials to back it up.

She also flagged an important pathway for graduates who don't yet hold a CDL: the MTA hires through NYC's civil service track via DCAS — the Department of Citywide Administrative Services — opening additional career options beyond bus operations.The MTA relies on a wide range of people and skills across engineering, information technology, security, auto mechanics, facilities maintenance, train operations, and customer service — whether you want to serve the public, keep buses and trains in top shape, build critical infrastructure, or solve operational problems, there's a meaningful role here.That's a much wider door than most of our graduates initially realize — and we intend to walk through all of it with them.

What We're Building Next

One recruiter. One hiring event. Five candidates in motion. That's not the ceiling — that's the foundation.

Emerge Career is actively working to deepen this partnership across multiple MTA departments, expanding well beyond bus operations into skilled trades, technical roles, system safety, and communications positions.The MTA is North America's largest public transportation organization, and it's looking for dynamic individuals with a passion for public service at every stage of their careers.Our graduates — job-ready, credentialed, and motivated — are exactly that.

We're grateful to Shariza for showing up, staying engaged, and treating our graduates like the serious candidates they are. We're committed to making this partnership everything it has the potential to be.

If you're a public-sector employer, transit agency, or HR team wondering where your next pipeline of skilled, job-ready talent is coming from — let's build something together. Reach out to Emerge Career's Employer Partnerships team at [beto@emergecareer.com] to learn what a hiring event built around your roles could look like.