Skip to main content

Posts in Category: 2023

2023

Karen Underwood 

Posted by John Komarek | Friday, September 1, 2023 4:04:00 PM

Forty-five years ago, Karen Underwood began as a temp revenue worker at Metro Transit, and that’s all she thought it would be: temporary.

“I was just out of college, didn’t know what I wanted to do, and needed a job to pay the bills,” Underwood said. “I thought, ‘I’m just a temp – I don’t need to stay here.’”

However, she felt guided to stick with it. After 6 months on the job, a permanent position became available and was offered to her. “I decided I would stay here and develop my role as much as I could,” she said.

As a revenue clerk, she learned about Service Development when riding and counting passengers were added to her duties. It wasn’t long before she became interested and sought a position as a planner.

“I didn’t have a degree in Urban Studies, but I was good with math and maps,” Underwood said.

While she didn’t get the role the first time, she studied hard and applied again for the next planner opening in Service Development. She eventually became an analyst, which focuses on improving service now versus long term planning, a role that suits her.

“I wound up in a job I love,” she said. “I got to see the impact of the work I do in the field.”

The impact she is most proud of is advocating for 3rd shift workers and non-native English speakers. Route 68 is one of the services she advocated and expanded the hours of weekend service to ensure that these workers could rely on transit to commute to work. This improvement was especially important during the pandemic.

“We’re doing much better at reaching out to these underrepresented groups and recognizing service for essential workers,” Underwood said. “It’s gratifying to see the agency do more of this.”

She enjoyed her time at transit so much, she encouraged her husband to apply when he was looking for a job. He became a part-time bus operator and recently retired as well. “There’s lots of opportunities here, classes to help you develop, and other roles to take on,” she said.

In retirement, she plans to continue volunteering, go camping with family, and travel as much as possible with Indonesia, Uganda, and Switzerland at the top of the list.

2023

John Carrier 

Posted by John Komarek | Monday, August 14, 2023 12:06:00 PM

Bus Operator

John Carrier couldn’t picture himself as a bus operator.

“My dad brought me to Metro Transit kicking and screaming,” he said. “I didn’t want to be a driver; it didn’t seem like me.”

Carrier had just earned an accounting degree and was working as a warehouse clerk. However, starting a career at Metro Transit became the first and final stop in his career. He'll retire next week after more than 38 years of service.

“I thought I’d be too nervous to do this job – but that didn’t play into it at all,” Carrier said. “I was surprised at how quickly I became accustomed to doing the job properly.”

Carrier started at Nicollet Garage, moved to Snelling and Heywood, and ends his career at South. For several years, Carriers served as a union steward, helping fellow operators solve problems. Onboard his bus, he also enjoyed helping people. He fondly remembers springing into action to help a blind person cross the street during a trip on Route 2.

“I was surprised passengers saw what I did and thanked me,” Carrier said. “It’s amazing how the stuff you do resonates with people.”

In retirement, he looks forward to sleeping in, traveling to Europe and Central America, and spending more time with his wife and two children.

2023

Al Daley 

Posted by John Komarek | Monday, August 14, 2023 12:04:00 PM

Bus Operator

When he was 18 years old, Al Daley didn’t want to leave Jamaica and join his mother in Minnesota.  “I was sure my mom made a mistake – I was going to leave Minnesota as soon as I could,” Daley said. “Thank god that didn’t happen.”

His mother was worried about the lifestyle he was becoming accustomed to, so she sponsored him to immigrate. From sunny beaches to the frozen tundra, Daley arrived in Minnesota in January of 1973.

“It was my first real experience with cold and snow,” he said. “I was excited for about 10 minutes. That excitement wore off quickly.”

After arriving he enrolled in college, but soon found out that it wasn’t a good fit for him. So, he entered the job market and eventually became an IT field technician. However, this job was shorter lived than he’d hoped – 3 years after starting, the now young father was laid off.

“I was looking for anything that got a paycheck coming in,” Daley said. “I drove taxi, school buses, sold cars, whatever it took.”

That’s when a friend suggested he apply to be a bus operator at Metro Transit. “I thought it was going to be a stop along the way. I hoped to return to IT,” he said. “That didn’t happen, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

He credits the people and the pay for keeping him here all these years. The interactions with customers onboard reminded him that his role was important, especially on cold winter days.

“They appreciate and need you,” Daley said. “They’re good people just trying to get from Point A to Point B.”

In retirement, he plans to spend more time with his son and his grandchildren, and when he can, return to Jamaica during the winter.

2023

Steve Mahowald 

Posted by John Komarek | Monday, August 14, 2023 12:02:00 PM

Senior Transit Planner

Steve Mahowald retired a senior planner, but like many folks at Metro Transit, he began his career as a bus operator.

“I was driving cab for a living,” Mahowald said. “I’d commute downtown to my job on Metro Transit and that’s when my bus operator told me to apply.”

He took that advice and a half century later; he celebrates a long and storied career. At Metro Transit, he served as a bus operator for about 5 years, which gave him steady income and the ability to go back to college and finish his degree in Urban Studies. This gave him the launching pad to apply for a job in Service Development and eventually the ability to earn his master’s degree.

“I didn’t get the job right away,” he said. “It took me three times.”

He started as an associate planner and worked his way up to senior planner. Throughout the years, he’s worked on many projects, but he’s most proud of helping develop transit market areas in the mid-90s. This document provides cities with an understanding of what transit can do now, and what transit could provide given the right developments.

“Cities still refer to it today to help develop areas that are conducive to transit service,” Mahowald said.

Throughout the years, community is what keeps him coming to work every day – not only the communities onboard buses and trains, but the community built by his fellow employees.

“It’s very rewarding to see and hear from the people we serve,” he said. “But it’s also energizing to work with such talented people with a passion for our mission.”

And just like the bus operator who told him to apply, he’s even inspired some people to work at Metro Transit. While teaching at the University of Minnesota, he met a passionate and driven student interested in transit. That student is now the director of Strategic Initiatives.

After 50 years of service, Mahowald is ready to retire and he knows he’s leaving the future of transit in good hands.

 “The talent coming into Metro Transit today is incredible,” he said.

In retirement, he plans to spend more time with kids and grandkids, traveling, and advocating for pedestrian improvements.

2023

Randy Robinson 

Posted by John Komarek | Monday, August 14, 2023 11:46:00 AM

Instructor

Randy Robinson joined Metro Transit just in the nick of time. If just one more day would have past, he’d be in California or New York working for an interstate bus company.  

“I applied there and Metro Transit at the same time as I knew transit was a process,” Robinson said. “I began at the other company because they hired me on the spot.”

After moving to Minnesota for career opportunities and to be near family, he was happy that Metro Transit finally called. Especially after a year of over-the-road work, his wife was happy he’d be local.

“I did my time with long distances and charter, and it’s great to be able to go home every day,” he said.

Robinson became an operator and credits all the great trainers, including some with employee IDs with three digits, for helping him along the way. After a little over 10 years, he started looking around for other opportunities.

“I started asking all the instructors and coordinators about what I need to do to become one,” Robinson said. “They pointed me in the right direction.”

When a position opened, he applied and earned the role as instructor, which he held for about 7 years. But, it wasn’t until he found a position as garage coordinator, that he found the role he’d retire from.

“I loved this position,” he said. “I was able to help operators advance and was still very connected to them and the garage. This is where I wanted to be.”

Throughout his near decade of serving as a garage coordinator, what he’s most proud of is helping about 10 operators advance their careers at Metro Transit.

“It was always bittersweet to see them move on, but I was happy they did,” he said.

In retirement, Robinson plans to spend more time with his grandchildren and take his wife on trips to places she hasn’t been.

2023

Greg Tuveson 

Posted by John Komarek | Monday, June 12, 2023 11:59:00 AM

Assistant Manager, Street Operations

Greg Tuveson originally wanted to become a state trooper. So, his mother – a bus operator herself – told him to work part-time at Metro Transit while he studied. That’s when fate took him in a different direction.

“I enjoyed being a bus operator – driving the routes and meeting all the people,” Tuveson said. “This job really worked for me.”

He discovered that the pay, benefits, and work-life balance helped him get married, start a family, and buy a house.

“Overall, Metro Transit is a great place to work,” he said. “I’m grateful for the support and balance I can have – it’s why I’ve been here so long.”

He also discovered that even after 25 years as a bus operator, there were other career paths available to him. He started out as an instructor then became a street supervisor and he now ends his career as an assistant manager of street operations.  

“I almost went to a different job at transit, but I’m happy that I went into street operations for a change of pace and advancement,” Tuveson said. “It’s not just a desk job – it gets you into the field.”

It was in this new role he found new learning experiences and supported big events like the State Fair, the Superbowl, and proud to help launch the METRO A Line, the region’s first bus rapid transit line.

“I’ve had a lot of good fun with the work I’ve done,” he said. “The relationships I built with people in and outside of the agency was the most enjoyable part – I’ll miss them.”

In retirement, Tuveson plans to spend more time with his five children and two grandchildren. He also plans to become a snowbird and split his time between Minnesota and Arizona. He also looks forward to when his brother David, a cleaner at Metro Transit, joins him in retirement. 

 

2023

Marjory Burns 

Posted by John Komarek | Thursday, May 4, 2023 2:13:00 PM

Dispatcher

In Northern Minnesota, Marjory Burns grew up as the youngest of 12 kids and went to school in a one-room schoolhouse. It’s there she learned the lessons that would propel her through life.

“We used to live off the land and most days I didn’t have lunch at school,” Burns said. “It made me what I am – a workaholic. I made sure my kids never went without.”

And work, she did. Burns put in more hours at more jobs than one might think was possible – and throughout had six children of her own.

“At one time I was putting in 120 hours a week,” she said.

She heard about Metro Transit while driving school buses. She eventually applied to be a bus operator but also for a job at the post office. And for about 7 years, she kept up her workaholic lifestyle as a part-time operator and a rural carrier. Eventually, she left the post office to go full time here.

“I chose Metro Transit because it had better benefits and retirement,” Burns said. “My retirement will cover everything that I’ll need.”

It wasn’t just the benefits that attracted her, however. Throughout the years, she spent most of her career at Heywood Garage and operated every single route that they offered.

“I love driving a bus,” she said. “My worst nightmare was sitting behind a desk.”

Onboard, she loved making people laugh, especially when it helped deescalate a situation, or at the garage with her coworkers. Eventually, she did find herself behind a desk as a dispatcher. However, she discovered that she could still do what’s important to her.

“I try to help people – that’s my job,” Burns said. “If I’m not helping people, I’m not happy.”

After all these years, however, she’s ready to retire and spend lots of time with her six children and six grandchildren. She also plans to cruise the world, starting this year with six back-to-back ocean cruises.