Great People

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.

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.

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.