Transit Career Stories

Transit Career Stories features inspiring narratives highlighting various career paths and personal experiences of current and former transit professionals who have built successful careers in public transportation. Hear directly from people who work in the industry as they share their career beginnings, paths, and what makes their work meaningful and rewarding.

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Stories From Our Transit Peers

Operators

A Second Chance: Bus Operator Frank Rodriguez’s Road from Hardship to Healing

Frank Rodriguez — Bus Operator, LA Metro; Apr. 2, 2026

From Stuck in Traffic to Blazing the Trail: The Rise of AVP Markeisha Haynes

Markeisha Haynes — Bus Operator, Santa Monica Big Blue Bus & Alternate Vice President Bus-West, SMART-TD; Mar. 16, 2026

Not Just a Bus Ride: How Kevin Lopez Brings Heart to the Job and Brightens a Passenger’s Day

Kevin Lopez — Bus Operator, LA Metro; Jan. 20, 2026

The Connection That Drives Us

Kerwin Rice — Bus Operator,  LA Metro; Dec. 2025

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45 Years of Safe Operating: Honoring James E. Smith

James “Jimmy” E. Smith — Paratransit Operator, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA); Oct. 30, 2025

Know Your Operator: Nathan Michaelson

Nathan Michaelson — Relief Instructor, Metro Transit (Minneapolis-St. Paul); Feb. 21, 2025

Maintenance

Learning While You Work: Building Mechanics From Within

Conor Moan— Maintenance Shop Lead , Community Transit (Seattle, WA); Apr. 2, 2026

Meet The Only Woman on Staff Fixing Milwaukee County Buses

Sharieka Thomas — Mechanic Apprentice, Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS); Mar. 25, 2026

Meet a Mechanic: Ravie, Mechanic-Technician, Bus Maintenance

Ravie Sawh — Bus Maintenance Technician, Metro Transit (Minneapolis-St. Paul); Feb. 3, 2026

Metro Employee Reconnects With the Bus Driver Who Inspired His Career

Sam Mencimer — Signaling & Train Control Engineer, WMATA (DC/MD/VA); Nov. 11, 2025

Assorted

Celebrating Women in Transit

Sabrina Herrera — Assistant General Manager, Sun Tran (Tucson, AZ); Mar. 19, 2026

MCTS Welcomes Ruben Salas Jr. as Vice President/Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Ruben Salas Jr. — Vice President/Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Milwaukee County Transit System; Jan. 16, 2026

How Barbara Cline Built One of South Dakota’s Most Vital Transit Systems

Barbara Cline — Executive Director, Prairie Hills Transit (Spearfish, SD); Nov. 26, 2025