Peterson Desir has been riding the Red Line since he was a kid, and for the last several months, the 33-year-old Dorchester native has had the best seat on the train – the driver’s chair. He is one of 23 new heavy rail drivers who have been hired and trained by the MBTA as part of a larger push to fill open jobs throughout the agency.

“Once I saw there was an open house, I just shot my shot,” Desir told the Reporter. “About three to four months later I got the email and I thought, it’s an opening, why not take a chance. The T has always been in the back of my mind because I always knew there were great opportunities here,” he said. “A big move why I wanted to come here was for more security for the future.” 

Desir officially entered the program last fall after spending ten years working with the Department of Youth Services. He received classroom instruction, hands-on experience, and engaged in extensive safety protocols alongside 22 other drivers who completed the program, the largest class in 18 years.

Peterson Desir grew up riding the Red Line rails and now he’s maneuvering trains through his home neighborhood. “I just shot my shot,” Desir told the Reporter. Cassidy McNeeley photos

Phillip Eng, the general manager of the T, points to Desir and his classmates as signs of progress as the agency seeks to staff up across the board.

“The skills and expertise that these motor persons have gained at the Training School will contribute to the MBTA’s mission of providing safe and reliable service,” he said. “We can see from their enthusiasm that they embrace public service and they’re excited to be part of our team.”
 
While job opportunities with the MBTA are considerable, Desir was looking for a specific role. “Choosing the Red Line was fairly easy because I rode the Red Line my whole life. It’s what I know,” he said. What he didn’t know was that, unlike the new Orange Line trains, the Red Line is made up of five different car models, all of which he would have to master. 

Desire just saw that as another opportunity. “I appreciate that because I feel like it will make me a better motor person and, hopefully, an inspector because of all the trains I have to learn,” he said, adding that learning how to drive and maintain five train types proved to be manageable with the leadership of the program’s instructors. 

“The trainers were amazing,” he said. I trained with about six different instructors, and I took a little piece from every single one of them to soak into my repertoire of what I’m going to bring to the Red Line. Every single one was patient, and showed me what I would be facing.”

After the weeks of training, when the time came for Desir to make his debut trip out of Ashmont Station, the “first ride jitters” came as expected, the confidence his trainers had instilled in him quickly took over and smoothed his transition from student to driver.  

He now works the night shift but has dreams of advancing in his role at the T as an inspector, guard master, and, one day, an instructor. 

There are other benefits to taking a job on the T now, he said, including free public transportation, competitive wages, insurance, education benefits, and a signing bonus of up to $7,500. 

Obed Ferdinand is another new T man who was intrigued enough by the recruitment postings to sign on as a trainee.

Obed Ferdinand of Mattapan is now driving buses on various MBTA routes in the system. “Going through the [training] program ended up giving me more confidence,” he says.

“The MBTA has a lot of training and the opportunity to grow within,” said the 47-year-old Mattapan resident.. “Starting off coming in was a little intense because I didn’t know what to expect. Going through the program ended up giving me more confidence.” 

Ferdinand has now been a bus driver for over eight months. Learning how to drive the bus was the easy part, he said. Learning how to deal with the public proved to be much more challenging.

“With the public, you have to be ready for all types of scenarios or any issues that come up,” he said. They include working to de-escalate issues that may arise among the riders behind as well as providing assistance to people with various disabilities as they come aboard and exit, ideally after a comfortable ride.

“When I was going through training it was like why do I need to know this? Am I ever going to use this? All that I’m supposed to be doing is driving a bus,” Ferdinand said. But he soon learned that his job was much more than that; he had an integral role in the life of the neighborhood. “A lot of people don’t have vehicles but at the same time, we all need to feed our families. Me getting them from point A to point B is helping the community.” 

His routes differ daily but he enjoys getting to serve all parts of the city. In some neighborhoods, he gets to utilize center lane bus lanes — which the City of Boston and the MBTA plan to implement along a three-mile stretch of Blue Hill Ave. into Mattapan Square .

The plan has been controversial but count Ferdinand among those who favor the idea. “The lane contributes to people getting to their destination a little quicker,” he said.

Like Desir, Ferdinand credits his success thus far to the MBTA instructors, saying that they prepared him for just about anything that could happen while he was on the road. 

Both men encourage other Bostonians to explore job opportunities on the T. Desir said that the program is for “anyone who’s in a state where they don’t know what they are doing and want to find something that’s secure and build a career.” He added: “There’s a certain pride that comes with knowing that you’re the one getting people to and from where they need to go every day.”

Those interested in working at the T should visit mbta.com/careers.