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.