How to become a tram operator
Official title: Tram operator
Also called: Light rail vehicle operator, Cable car operator, Tram driver, Tram controller, Transport operator, Rapid transport operator, Trolley operator
Tram operators drive and control passenger trams to transport people. They may handle fares.
Main tasks
- Drive trams
- Monitor signals and traffic
- Watch for hazards
- Collect and check fares from passengers
- Provide travel information
- Report vehicle and equipment problems
- Tell passengers about vehicle problems
- Write reports about incidents
How to become one
You learn on the job to become a tram operator. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job. Required: to complete on-the-job training courses; a full driver licence for 2 years; a passenger (P) endorsement. Other requirements: a Class 2 or 4 driver licence; to pass a medical assessment and drug test; to pass a police check.
Pay · Past change · AI and this job
- Most common pay: $56,000 to $95,000 a year (median $71,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Upper: $109,000 a year
- TEC shows pay for this job by the hour: median $34.13 an hour.
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Decrease (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
- People employed in the group Train and Tram Drivers: 1,134 at the 2018 Census and 999 at the 2023 Census (-11.9%). Past change, not a forecast.
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Who does this work
- About 57 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
- In the group Train and Tram Drivers, 10% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
- Where people in the group Train and Tram Drivers work (2023 Census): Auckland 32.2%, Wellington 14.8%, and Waikato 11.1%.
Related jobs
- Train driver
- Heavy truck driver
- Roading construction worker
- Driving instructor
- Traffic controller
- Railway track worker
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Questions people ask
How do I become a tram operator?
You learn on the job to become a tram operator. You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job. Required: to complete on-the-job training courses; a full driver licence for 2 years; a passenger (P) endorsement. Other requirements: a Class 2 or 4 driver licence; to pass a medical assessment and drug test; to pass a police check.
How much does a tram operator earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $71,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $56,000 to $95,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a tram operator grown in New Zealand?
It has shrunk: TEC records a decrease in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.
Will AI change the work of a tram operator?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
- Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026