After several years with a company that repaired fiberglass barge covers in New Orleans, Bill Wilken decided it was time to come home to the Twin Cities. The experience he’d gained on the river came in helpful when he applied for a bus maintenance role at what was then known as the Metropolitan Transit Commission. After passing a test, he was hired as a cleaner and put to work sweeping buses and scrubbing wheels. In a difficult job market, he was happy to have the work. But the appeal went beyond a steady paycheck and good benefits. “I wanted to work somewhere that contributed to the public good,” Wilken said. And in his 43 years at Metro Transit, he contributed quite a bit.

While his career began in bus maintenance, Wilken wasn’t destined to become a mechanic. Instead, he enrolled in accounting classes and applied for a job as a clerk in a department responsible for managing newly introduced pre-paid fare programs. At the time, most customers paid each time they rode by dropping nickels and dimes into a mechanical farebox. He switched tracks at an opportune moment: over the coming decades, Wilken helped introduce several industry-leading changes that made it easier and more convenient for customers to pay their fares.

One of his earliest accomplishments was the establishment of Metro Transit stores in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul where customers could purchase fares in person. Wilken also led efforts to simplify the fare structure, expand fare sales to hundreds of area retailers, install electronic fare boxes and introduce the agency’s first prepaid magnetic fare products. In 1998, he participated in the launch of the Metropass program, which allowed employers to provide discounted, unlimited ride passes. His resume also includes the introduction of online sales and Go-To Cards, automatic fare cards that had become the dominant form of fare payment by the time he retired. “We really led the way for the industry,” Wilken said.

Wilken also played key roles in the openings of the METRO Blue Line (then known as the Hiawatha Line), METRO Green Line and the Northstar Commuter Rail Line, as well as countless large events, including the 2018 Super Bowl at U.S. Bank Stadium. Ticket booths, trained staff and careful planning helped ensure smooth operations even as thousands of event-goers turned to Metro Transit. “You get a little nervous anticipating all the things that could go wrong, then you load that last train, sit back and just go, ‘Ah…’” Wilken said.

While Wilken was a proud innovator, he also knew how to build and support a team. He became a supervisor in 1986 and hired numerous interns and several employees who’d go on to have long and successful careers of their own. He also worked closely with staff across the agency and local partners who went out of their way to express their confidence in Wilken’s work. Wilken’s achievements were recognized in 2016, when he received a Distinguished Career Award from the Minnesota Public Transportation Association.

Wilken retired in February 2020 with 43 years of service. In retirement, he planned to spend more time traveling, fixing up his house and focusing on his health.