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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Subway and Streetcar Operators?
Task-level automation exposure for Subway and Streetcar Operators: 10 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
38%
weighted task index
10 of 10 tasks scored
Median Salary
$86,380 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
10,200 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+3.7%
employment change
900 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 13 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$41,710 – $92,420
Highest medians
Maryland $92,420
California $78,680
Washington $77,020
Florida $72,860
New Jersey $68,970
Lowest medians
Michigan $41,710
Missouri $53,030
Utah $58,620
Texas $58,780
Georgia $59,570
State figures come from the 53-4041 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 38%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 35%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 14%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 8%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 70/100
High
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
10 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 25%
3 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 32%
3 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 42%
4 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#12767 · Core · 38% automatable
Monitor lights indicating obstructions or other trains ahead and watch for car and truck traffic at crossings to stay alert to potential hazards.
information retrieval — GPS/telematics tracking is digital; exceptions need human handling
Monitor vehicle movement or location. Monitor traffic signals. Monitor surroundings to detect potential hazards.
#12765 · Core · 10% automatable
Operate controls to open and close transit vehicle doors.
situated mobility — Driving passenger vehicles needs real-world control
Drive passenger vehicles.
#12766 · Core · 10% automatable
Drive and control rail-guided public transportation, such as subways, elevated trains, and electric-powered streetcars, trams, or trolleys, to transport passengers.
situated mobility — Driving passenger vehicles needs real-world control
Drive passenger vehicles.
#12770 · Core · 60% automatable
Report delays, mechanical problems, and emergencies to supervisors or dispatchers, using radios.
text generation — Reporting malfunctions is structured information relay
Report vehicle or equipment malfunctions. Notify others of emergencies, problems, or hazards.
#12769 · Core · 10% automatable
Regulate vehicle speed and the time spent at each stop to maintain schedules.
situated mobility — Driving passenger vehicles needs real-world control
Drive passenger vehicles.
#12771 · Core · 55% automatable
Make announcements to passengers, such as notifications of upcoming stops or schedule delays.
information retrieval — Transport info lookup automatable; live assistance human
Provide transportation information to passengers or customers.
#12768 · Core · 25% automatable
Direct emergency evacuation procedures.
interpersonal — Emergency direction is live, high-stakes human command
Direct emergency management activities.
#12772 · Core · 77% automatable
Complete reports, including shift summaries and incident or accident reports.
text generation — Record travel operational details from provided info
Record operational details of travel. Prepare accident or incident reports.
#12773 · Core · 55% automatable
Greet passengers, provide information, and answer questions concerning fares, schedules, transfers, and routings.
information retrieval — Transport info lookup automatable; live assistance human
Provide transportation information to passengers or customers.
#12774 · Core · 70% automatable
Attend meetings on driver and passenger safety to learn ways in which job performance might be affected.
information retrieval — AI supports study; certification requires human
Maintain professional knowledge or certifications.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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