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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

Facilities Technician

Matt Homan didn’t have to look far to see that working in transit could be a good way to make a living. Homan’s two older brothers, Jan and Jake, began at what was then known as the Metropolitan Transit Commission in 1975 and 1978. In 1984, Homan began his career as a fueler at the newly opened South Garage. Like his brothers, Homan also stuck around – he retired in February 2023 after more than 38 years of service.

When Homan began, he was much younger than many of his peers and it took time to gain seniority. He spent his first 16 years working overnights as a fueler and technician. As time went on, though, he was able to rise through the ranks and take on more and different responsibilities. At the Overhaul Base, he worked on transmissions, at the electrical bench, swapped engines, spent time in the frame shop and worked on non-revenue vehicles. Some of his favorite jobs, he said, were also the biggest – transmissions, differentials, trailing arms and suspension.

Homan worked on cars throughout high school and attended vocational school after graduating. Still, he continued learning throughout his career. The variety and chance to continue learning on the job, he said, helped keep him interested over the years. The job had some less-than-ideal moments, though. After exchanging a broken down bus on a particularly cold winter day, Homan recalled having to wait four hours for a tow truck and trying to stay warm by sitting on top of the engine. “You forget how cold cold can be,” he said.

In 2009, Homan moved to building maintenance as a facilities technician. His years in building maintenance were spent entirely at the Ruter Garage, a building he became quite familiar with and for six years was solely responsible for. “I’ve been here so long I know every wire hanging from every rafter,” he said. He also took pride in his work: “I always thought how the building looked and how things worked was a reflection of me,” Homan said.

In retirement, Homan planned to put his sawmill to work, cutting lumber and building a cabin.

Police Officer

Steve Schoephoerster’s father thought his job as a bus operator was the best he’d ever had. So, when Schoephoerster turned 21 years old and was able to apply, he did. The decision led to a nearly 39-year career that included time as an operator, dispatcher, transit supervisor and police officer, and to a third-generation of transit workers.

Schoephoerster began his career at what was then known as the Shingle Creek Garage. He spent nearly a decade working there and at Heywood Garage as an operator and part-time dispatcher before moving into the Transit Control Center as an overnight supervisor.

Schoephoerster had been interested in becoming a police officer from a young age and had tried once before to enter what at the time was a highly competitive field. With encouragement from officers he interacted with as a police dispatcher, Schoephoerster re-tested and in February 2004 fulfilled his dream of becoming a police officer.

As a patrol officer, Schoephoerster worked nights and regularly rode the newly opened METRO Blue Line. In 2008, he joined the department’s K-9 Unit and spent eight years working alongside his partner Cooper, a black lab. After Cooper passed away in 2016, Schoephoerster joined the team that rode the Northstar Commuter Rail and patrolled the northern suburbs. “You really got to know the customers, the conductors, and everyone who worked on Northstar, which made that a very enjoyable experience,” he said. 

One of Schoephoerster’s most memorable moments came in 2022, when he pinned a Metro Transit police badge on his son, Kevin. Together, they became the department’s first full-time father-son officers. Schoephoerster’s other son, Taylor, joined Metro Transit in 2014 and was serving as a mechanic technician at the time of his father’s retirement.

After retiring in early-2023, Schoephoerster said he planned to spend more time golfing, traveling and with his family. His family connections and other friendships, Schoephoerster said, would keep him engaged even in retirement. “You just don’t forget the people you work with,” he said.

After attending an aeronautical school, Gary Nyberg thought he’d have a career managing a small airport. Instead, he became a third-generation operator, following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father, who had worked as streetcar and bus operators in the Twin Cities.  

Once, early in his career, Nyberg was even assigned to cover his father’s work and discovered just how much his passengers appreciated him. That experience, he said, helped affirm his decision to work in transit.  

Still, he knew even then that he’d eventually want to get out of the driver’s seat and apply the skills he’d learned in school. After eight years as an operator, he got his first opportunity to do that, taking a role in the Transit Control Center.  

He made the most of it, too. After 43 years of service, Nyberg retired in early-2023 having made a deep imprint on the organization his family had been with for more than a century.  

His first foray into emerging transit technologies came in the early-90s when he helped test new GPS equipment on a few buses. It took a few years for the technology to come of age, but eventually Nyberg helped deploy GPS equipment across the fleet, allowing vehicles to be remotely tracked in real time.  

At the same time, he started taking on more of a leadership role in the expanding TCC and started to build a team that would help the agency start using new radio equipment and other emerging technologies, like real-time signs and transit signal priority.  

The evolution Nyberg saw during his career, he said, was remarkable. “Everything has changed immensely,” he said. “When you’re busy every day, it’s hard to see that. But when you step back and look at it, it’s really quite amazing how far we’ve come in the use of our technology. We’re able to monitor and respond to things in ways we never could have imagined when I started here.” 

The use of technology hasn’t just improved the customer experience but given the agency a wealth of data that can be used to make better decisions. “The ability to make more informed decisions is actually one of the biggest benefits we’ve seen from the use of technology,” Nyberg said.  

More than anything, though, Nyberg said he’s most proud of the relationships he built along the way. Many of his co-workers have become lifelong friends. In retirement, Nyberg plans to spend time with his family and on home projects, studying Chinese, and traveling.  

Bus Operator

Paul Osborne began work at transit as a two-year plan to get back on track and return to college. Thirty-four years later, he’s glad he stayed.  

“College was difficult for me, so my dad encouraged me to apply to Metro Transit,” Osborne said.  

The St. Paul native drove school buses previously, so the transition was easy – especially with the amount of support Metro Transit provides its operators.  

“I had to fuel and clean my own school bus,” he said. “And the heating and cooling systems rarely worked – in winter, I’d wear full winter gear to stay warm onboard!”  

He truly appreciated the people who made sure he could focus on driving and customers, including Metro Transit mechanics, cleaners, and fuelers.  

While he enjoyed the variety of routes available when working extra-board, he also loved the lack of it in his uniform.  

“I could be in Cottage Grove one day, and Chanhassen the next,” Osborne said.  “And, I could wake up every day and not have to think about what to wear." 

Like many operators, however, it was the benefit package and the people that kept him here all these years.  

“Metro Transit rose to my expectations to take care of me when I was injured,” Osborne said. “And I’ve made friends for life.”  

As he enters retirement, he’s already planned a trip to Costa Rica with retired transit friends and looks forward to tackling lots of home improvement projects.   

He’ll have to start thinking about what to wear every day again, however.  

As a child in Northeast Minneapolis, David Micklin grew up on Metro Transit buses.

“I’d ride them everywhere,” Micklin said. “I’d ride on my father’s bus and help him change his route signs.”

His father, Al Micklin, served for 34 years with Twin Cities Lines. Metropolitan Transit Commission, Metropolitan Council Transit Operations, and Metro Transit.

“I always felt at home onboard a bus,” he said.

As a young man, he tried a few careers, but it wasn’t until 1988 that he followed in his father’s footsteps at Metro Transit. 

“I don’t know why I didn’t start until then because I knew it was a good job with good pay and benefits,” Micklin said. “And, my dad always told me that he never worked a day in his life because he loved his job so much.”

Throughout his career, he worked at every garage except South. And, after 35 years of service, he’s proud to say that he’s had zero accidents and was always on time to work. He says he’s never even had a broken mirror or any other minor issues.

While he was dedicated to safety and on-time performance, it was the people that really made the job special for him, especially on his favorite routes – the 4, 65, 67, and 852.

“There were always friendly people onboard,” Micklin said.

In retirement, he’ll move up to his lake home in Wisconsin with his wife. He plans to finish some additions and looks forward to hosting his two children and grandchildren. He also plans to spend plenty of time behind the wheel of his Corvette.