The MBTA’s hiring of young drivers is coming under fire after the crash Friday night that injured nearly 50 people.
The ‘T’ allows drivers as young as 18 to operate a trolley. The MBTA has three part-time trolley drivers under the age of 21. Friday's crash and the Green Line crash in Newton last year both involved trolley drivers that were 24-years-old. The driver involved in Friday’s accident, 24-year-old Aiden Quinn told investigators he was texting his girlfriend at the time. Quinn, who suffered a broken wrist in the crash, was hired 22 months ago through a lottery system. His driving record includes three speeding tickets and a car accident just last year…but those did not disqualify him for the job. Both chairmen of the Legislature’s Transportation Committee tell the Boston Globe that they plan to look into the age requirement and the hiring standards at the MBTA. The MBTA says its training program is longer and more thorough than other transit agencies.
How young is too young? What do you think of the MBTA's hiring standards?
