How To Become A Trolley Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a trolley operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a trolley operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.07 an hour? That's $37,590 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 32,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreTrolley OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $37,590

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.37%

Asian 5.67%

Black or African American 16.67%

Hispanic or Latino 15.76%

Unknown 4.07%

White 56.46%

Gender

female 21.67%

male 78.33%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.1

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a trolley operator

Explore trolley operator education requirements

Most common trolley operator degrees

Bachelor's

56.0 %

High School Diploma

28.0 %

Certificate

8.0 %

Start to develop specific trolley operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Pre-trip	33.87%
Trolleys	29.06%
CDL	24.12%
Transport Passengers	7.63%
Mobility Aids	5.32%

Complete relevant trolley operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New trolley operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a trolley operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real trolley operator resumes.

Research trolley operator duties and responsibilities

Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.
Oversee all transit mode operations for para-transit.services.

Prepare your trolley operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your trolley operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a trolley operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable trolley operator resume templates

Build a professional trolley operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your trolley operator resume.