Great People

Tim Smith always wanted to be a bus operator and ended up a teacher.

“I used to ride Twin City Line’s Route 16 with my mother and that’s when I became fascinated with buses – how they worked, where they went,” Smith said. “From an early age, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”

And, for multiple decades he did. Smith also knew that he wanted to work at Metro Transit, but like many, he started working for other transportation companies, like schools and other regional providers. When he began here in 1991, he split his time between Metro Transit and another company as he worked both part time.

“It was a changing of the guards and a changing of the uniform,” he said. “I’d take off my light blue uniform and put on my Army green uniform.”

That old transit uniform was one of many changes the St. Paul native saw throughout his transit journey – from the name of the company (MTC to Metro Transit), the color of the buses and uniforms, garages opening and closing, and new technologies like electric buses.

“I trained at Old Snelling Garage which was the old instruction center and started at Shingle Creek Garage,” Smith said. “There’s been a lot of changes in my time.”

And this included changes for his career. After an instructor noticed his work ethic around bus operations, they suggested that he consider becoming an instructor. That nudge launched him into the next phase of his career, first as a relief instructor in 1999, then a full-time instructor at the Instruction Center in 2008.

“I trained thousands of people throughout my career,” Smith said. “And they remember you throughout their careers.”

As an instructor, he taught not only bus operators, but any staff operating large or complex vehicles with his certifications to teach Commercial Drivers License, Class A, forklift, and Safety Keys. He’s proud of the high standards Metro Transit has for training. While he enjoys instruction, there’s still that kid inside of him who fell in love with buses and just wants to operate them. During the pandemic and short of staff, he got a consistent opportunity to fulfill his need to drive.

“It felt so good to get behind the wheel again,” he said. “But now it’s time to move on. I’ve put my time in.”

In retirement, Smith and his wife plan to move southwest for the weather and to be near family. They also plan to road trip around the United States.

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.

While riding Route 5 in high school to his job, Bob Little decided that he wanted to work at Metro Transit.

“College didn’t interest me, and I knew that Metro Transit had good job opportunities,” Little said.

Throughout his career, he was able to move around not only job locations but job titles. Forty-three years ago, he began his career as a cleaner at the Old Snelling Garage, followed by Shingle Creek Garage (Ruter), Old Northside, and Old Nicollet. But his goal was to advance into a mechanic role.

“I’ve always been mechanically minded,” he said. “I used to scare my mother by taking apart things – she worried I wouldn’t get them back together – but I always did.”

Little became a mechanic at the Old Snelling and South garages, but that’s just the beginning of his career journey filled with new skills he’d acquire. Next, he learned to weld and welded new frames on buses at the Overhaul Base. Then, he grew an interest in HVAC and became certified to fix those system at the “new” Nicollet Garage.

Then he learned that Public Facilities needed people and became licensed in boiler repair. From there he moved to the opening of the Blue Line facility and took care of all the rail platforms at that facility. Next, he worked at the Old Public Facilities building on Hoover and East Hennepin as a senior mechanic. In 2011, he made his final career stop at South Garage as a facilities technician for Public Facilities.

“I never really wanted to become a manager or supervisor,” Little said. “I was always more interested in doing the work.”

And what kept him here all these years was the ability to move around, learn new skills, and work with people who were always willing to help.

"This is a place you can grow into,” he said. “And the people care about you.”

This experience made all times he worked through extreme weather, including the coldest day on record (-35 degrees), and the blizzards of 1981 and 1991 worthwhile. He proud of the fact that he never missed a day due to weather. In retirement, however, he’ll be happy to sit them out.

“I won’t miss driving to work before the plows hit the highways!” he joked.

In retirement, Little plans to spend more time with his wife who recently retired and travel the world. As he’s 100% Irish, Ireland is at the top of the list followed by a trip to see the Andes.

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.

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.