Ridership Analysis & Modeling, Emerging Talent Intern (Fall)

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA); New York (NY); On-site; USD 24,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is seeking a graduate intern for the Ridership Analysis & Modeling, Emerging Talent Intern role in New York. The position focuses on RAM GIS projects, maintaining and enhancing bus network datasets and developing analytical tools to support transit planning and federal reporting.

You will work onsite at 2 Broadway, NYC, contributing to data integration, reporting, and dashboard development with a strong emphasis on GIS workflows.

Qualifications

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite is required.
• Strong organizational and analytical abilities are essential.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills are required.
• Ability to work under pressure and prioritize tasks.

Responsibilities

• Update and maintain GIS datasets, including Bus Lane Segments and Bus Route LION data, ensuring accuracy across systems.
• Perform spatial data validation, cleaning, and QA to support reliable transit planning and reporting outputs.
• Assist in integrating GIS datasets with bus speed and operational data to analyze corridor performance and running time estimation.
• Develop and refine geospatial analysis tools and workflows to improve efficiency.
• Support modernization of fixed guideway reporting by contributing to updated GIS-based frameworks.
• Assist in backend development and data structuring for the OP ArcGIS Online Portal and Data Lake integration.
• Document data processes to ensure transparency, reproducibility, and maintainability of GIS resources.
• Collaborate with Operations Planning and Data & Analytics to align datasets and outputs.

Skills

Microsoft Office

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Detail-oriented

Team player

Education

Graduate GPA 2.8+

Preferred majors: City & Regional Planning

Civil Engineering

Transportation Engineering

Urban Studies

Job description

Description

Department: Operations Planning

Location: 2 Broadway, New York, NY 10004

Position Title: Ridership Analysis & Modeling, Emerging Talent Intern

Hourly Rate: $21.00 (Graduate)

All internship positions are onsite and require regular, in-person attendance at the designated work location.

Overview Of Department

Ridership Analysis & Modeling (RAM) serves as an internal consultant to NYCT on all aspects of ridership patterns, passenger movement, and short- and long-term trends across subway and bus systems. The RAM group develops and improves models and tools used to estimate statistics and forecast rider behavior during normal operations and in cases of planned work, to improve schedule accuracy and better target customer information. RAM works cross-functionally across the agency to extract narratives from massive amounts of data, both directly observed and estimated.

The selected candidate will help support; RAM GIS projects will maintain and enhance bus network datasets while developing new analytical tools to support transit planning and federal reporting. Key work includes updating the DOT Bus Lane Segments shapefile and the Bus Route LION Matching GIS data. The updated GIS data will replace and modernize the current fixed guideway federal reporting process. Integrating the updated GIS data with existing bus speed sources will also allow teams to easily calculate and predict bus running times for any corridor or proposed route. Additional initiatives include backend development for the OP ArcGIS Online Portal and its integration with the Data Lake.

Responsibilities

• Update and maintain GIS datasets, including the Bus Lane Segments shapefile and Bus Route LION Matching data, ensuring accuracy and consistency across systems.
• Perform spatial data validation, cleaning, and quality assurance to support reliable transit planning and federal reporting outputs.
• Assist in integrating GIS datasets with bus speed and operational data to support analysis of corridor performance and running time estimation.
• Develop and refine geospatial analysis tools and workflows to improve efficiency.
• Support the modernization of fixed guideway reporting processes by contributing to updated GIS-based reporting frameworks.
• Assist in backend development and data structuring for the OP ArcGIS Online Portal, improving accessibility and usability for internal teams.
• Document data processes, methodologies, and updates to ensure transparency, reproducibility, and long-term maintainability of GIS resources.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Operations Planning and Data & Analytics, to align datasets and analytical outputs.

Projects

The intern will assist the Ridership Analysis Modelling in the course of its work, as described above. Expected deliverables will include:

• Bus Route and Lion Street Network Matching/Bus Lane Inventory Maintenance.
• Bus Lane Ridership and Speed Report/Dashboard.
• OP ArcGIS Online Portal and its integration with the Data Lake.

Required Qualifications

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite is a must.
• The candidate should possess organizational, analytical and communication skills.
• The candidate should be able to work well under pressure and prioritize tasks effectively.
• The candidate should have a keen eye for detail and be able to work independently while being an active team player.

Required Education

• Matriculated in a graduate program in good standing with at least 2.8 GPA
• Major(s) Preferred: City & Regional Planning, Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Urban Studies, Public Policy, Public Affairs, Computer Science, Data Science, or related field.

All applicants must be authorized to work in the United States at the time of application. Students’ transcript must be submitted.

Equal Employment Opportunity

MTA and its subsidiary and affiliated agencies are Equal Opportunity Employers, including with respect to veteran status and individuals with disabilities. The MTA encourages qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and abilities, including military service members, to apply.