How to Get a Job with San Francisco's Municipal Railway (MUNI)

San Francisco's Municipal Railway, usually abbreviated to MUNI, is the seventh largest public transit system in the United States, currently operating seventy-one bus lines in the city, seven light rail lines, three cable cars and the F-Wharves streetcar that runs along Fisherman's Wharf and down Market Street. All told there are about one thousand different vehicles in the Muni fleet.

There are two ways to go about seeking employment with San Francisco's MUNI. Those who already possess transferrable skills should simply check the MUNI employment listings online for currently posted job announcements. MUNI regularly seeks people for a wide variety of jobs not limited to operating the trains and buses. They usually have postings for various office administration positions, maintenance technicians, engineers, dispatchers, gardeners, laborers and electricians just to name a few. These are all city jobs and the salaries tend to be generous even on the low end.

The other method by which you can get a job with MUNI is to gain related experience before applying. For example, if you wish to be a Transit Operator (which is MUNI's general title for all drivers and train operators), it would help you a lot to first obtain a Class B driver's license and bus driver training elsewhere. Or, if you wish to be a fare checker, experience in private security and a guard card will help your consideration for the position a lot. There are many employment programs through which you can get subsidized or even free training in these basic skills. The best place to begin looking into such training is at one of the San Francisco One Stop Career Link Center locations which can be found in the Mission, the Civic Center, Bayview, Chinatown and Western Addition neighborhoods. Staff at these locations can fill you in on what training programs are currently available, just ask to speak to a counselor.

Most MUNI positions will require you to take and pass a civil service test. The examination is usually tailored specifically to the job you are applying for in San Francisco. To prepare for these exams, you should check out the Business, Science and Technology Center at the main public library branch in the Civic Center. Here you will find study guides for the various San Francisco civil service exams arranged in alphabetical order. The San Francisco Public Library website also has an online guide called "How To Prepare For A Civil Service Test When There's No Civil Service Test Book", which can be found online at this link. Civil service exams are only held at certain times during the year and there may be a limited amount of slots open to take them at any given time.

Aside from the fairly high salaries, another benefit to working with MUNI is that operations run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so there's lots of room to get a work schedule that suits you. Those looking for graveyard shift work can look for a job driving or supporting the Night Owl buses which run between 1:00 and 5:00 a.m. when regular service has shut down for the night. Regular service starts back up during the rest of the day, with most trains starting either just before or just after 5:00 a.m. and shutting down a little after midnight. Good luck in your job search!