Growing up, Jack Berner walked or biked just about everywhere he went. Once he started working, though, he quickly developed a knack for driving. He spent three years delivering custom-made cabinets, drove a school bus while attending vocational school and distributed soda throughout the Twin Cities for nearly a decade. When the company he worked for went through a strike, Berner knew he couldn’t sit still in an office and looked for another chance to get behind the wheel. “My wife said, ‘I don’t care where you work as long as you come home every night,’” Berner remembered. “That eliminated a lot of the trucking jobs.” The criteria did not, however, prevent him from becoming a bus driver, which is how Berner ended up applying at what was then known as the Metropolitan Transit Commission. 

The first stop in Berner’s 31-year career at Metro Transit was at the Shingle Creek Garage, now the Ruter Garage. The transition from delivery truck to a 40-foot bus, he said, wasn’t too terribly difficult. “The bus was wider by about a half foot, so it took a few days to get used to the width,” he said. “By day three, I was driving with one hand.” (An instructor quickly reminded Berner not to be too confident, and to keep both hands on the wheel at all times.) While he had to wait for a full-time role, Berner knew even when he applied that he wanted to make this stop his last. “When I started here, I said, ‘I hope this is the last job I ever have to apply for.’”

Fifteen months after starting, Berner went full time and settled in at the Heywood Garage, where he spent the remainder of his career. At Heywood, Berner often worked 15-hour days and put in hundreds of hours of overtime a year. All that time on the road helped sharpen his driving skills. And it showed. Berner retired with a 26-year safe driving record and an impressive collection of Bus Roadeo titles. Berner competed in his first Bus Roadeo in 1997, finishing in the top ten overall and among that year’s top first-time participants. He would go on to compete in 22 more Metro Transit Roadeos, as well as several state and international Roadeos. Berner won 14 Metro Transit Roadeos and three state titles; his best finish in the international competition was fifth place. Out of all that success, his proudest achievement came in 2014, when he took first place and his son, Jason Berner, took second. “That was a pretty special moment,” he said.

Berner’s influence went beyond his own family, too. In 2004, he began working with newly hired operators as a relief instructor. He advised hundreds of operators over the next 15 years and took the work seriously. Even if the streets were empty, Berner made sure his students learned to take turns without crossing the centerline. “An inch here or an inch there makes a big difference,” Berner said. “I wanted them to have the confidence that they could drive in any situation.”

Berner retired in January 2020 with more than 31 years of service. In retirement, he planned to spend more time with his family, including his wife of 40 years, children and grandchildren. He also looked forward to traveling, biking, boating, and to picking up new hobbies like pickleball.