Metro Transit not only shaped Soultar Allera-Beaumont's career but helped him shape the careers of others. But his path didn’t begin with an immediate hire. “I actually applied the first time with my dad,” Soultar said. “He wanted company during the process. He got hired. I didn’t.” 

Soultar applied again in 1993 and was hired. After a few years as bus operator, he became an instructor, a role that would define his career and others around him.  

Over the course of his 32-year career, Soultar instructed thousands of operators and mentored many others who would later become trainers themselves. He was among the original full-time trainers when the program launched in 2000 and retired as one of the last remaining from that group. “Everybody learns differently,” he said. “You figure that out fast when you’re training one-on-one.” 

That belief became central to his approach. Rather than asking students to conform to his style, Soultar adapted to theirs, focusing on confidence as much as competence. 

A strong work ethic ran in the family. Soultar’s father spent more than two decades with Metro Transit and later returned part-time after retirement. His example left a lasting impression. “He taught me how to be genuine and how to show up,” Soultar said. 

The organization’s benefits also became deeply personal. After his mother died of lung cancer in 1998, his father shared what he called a “gratitude box,” filled with medical bills totaling more than a million dollars, alongside a comparatively small out-of-pocket expense covered through benefits. The lesson stayed with him. 

Reflecting ahead of his January 2026 retirement, Soultar said he was confident the training program will continue to thrive. “The wheel keeps moving,” he said. 

In retirement, he and his wife planned to run a holistic business and to travel to Ireland, Africa and Australia.