Top left to right, Kimberly Dobis, Zachary Hammonds, and Keith Howard. Lower left to right, Jesus Llamas, Darara Mokonnen, and Shawn Nevins
For whatever reason, some bus operators decide to pursue another company or career. After time away, many operators discover that the benefits of working at Metro Transit are second-to-none. Transit provides a stable, lifelong career with room for growth, and a coveted, hard-to-find benefits package.
Here’s why these bus operators returned to Metro Transit:
Kimberly Dobis worked at Metro Transit previously and returned in 2020 to continue her career as a bus operator. She initially left to pursue an office job, then found herself behind the wheel of a bus again at a school bus company. After a few years working there, she decided she wanted to return to Metro Transit because the pay, benefits, and pension where second-to-none. Also, she had the opportunity to work full time instead of split shifts, if she wished, unlike some other bus companies. She plans to retire at transit after trying out other companies and seeing strong benefits here. Today, she works at South Garage.
Zachary Hammonds started at Metro Transit in 2010 after working as a mover/installer for an exercise equipment company. Once their benefits and sick pay policies changed dramatically, he decided it was time to leave. His father was a bus operator and told him to apply at Metro Transit, so he did. For eight years, he enjoyed the job, but then decided he wanted to try something else. After a stint at a chemical company where he had concerns about working conditions, he began driving garbage trucks. The pay was lower than transit, and he describes the benefits as “garbage.” He found that even the large amount of opportunity for overtime there wasn’t worth it and that drivers faced even more difficult guidelines than transit operators. He also remembers when his truck broke down, he didn’t receive the support bus operators get at transit. So, he returned to transit in 2021 even though he knew he’d start back at the bottom of the union seniority. But that doesn’t bother him as he’s laying the groundwork for his future with a stable job with good pay, a pension, and good health benefits. “The grass isn’t always greener,” he said. “I’m happy to be back.” He now operates out of Heywood Garage.
Keith Howard started in 2004 after trying to help a friend’s business grow. He wasn’t going to get a benefit package he was looking for, so he decided to apply at Metro Transit. As his father made an over 27-year career here, he knew about the benefits of working at transit before his first time behind the wheel of a bus. After he started, however, he discovered that he wasn’t quite ready for this career path and resigned. After that, he worked in a few different industries, including mortgage, sales, and for a major delivery company. All the while he kept remembering the rare mix of great pay, benefits, and stability that being a bus operator provided his father and that he couldn’t quite find in any of these industries. “I grew up on the good pay and benefits that my father earned at Metro Transit, so I know what it could do for me,” Howard said. In 2016, he restarted his career as a bus operator at Metro Transit and plans to retire here like his father. Today, he’s happy to be a bus operator at East Metro Garage.
Jesus Llamas returned to Metro Transit to continue his career as a bus operator after serving as a police officer. While in college from 2017 to 2020, Llamas worked as a bus operator for transit while he pursued a degree in law enforcement. After college, he worked in the field but discovered that he missed his role as a bus operator. In 2022, he returned to transit because he says it’s one of the best places you can be for the benefits compared to any other place he’s been. He also says the pay is great. Recently he was able to pay off all his debt by taking on some overtime. He hopes to retire with transit and someday work his way into other positions within transit. But first, he’s set his sights on improving his skills and hopes to take home the rookie of the year award at the annual Bus Roadeo to Heywood Garage, and he did.
Darara Mokonnen immigrated from Ethiopia with his family in the early 2000s. It wasn’t until 2017 that he originally started at Metro Transit. While he enjoyed the challenges of the job and the benefits, he discovered that part-time split shifts weren’t a good fit for him and his family, and he wasn't quite ready for the challenges of operating in a major metropolitan area. So Mokonnen decided to drive school buses for suburban and rural districts. In 2021, when he saw that transit was hiring straight to full-time, he re-applied. He even encouraged all his friends and family to apply as well. He knew what many longtime operators know, in years past it could take years for a new operator to go full-time, so this was a great opportunity. He says that a career at transit is stable even during rough economic periods and the benefits are great, which is extremely important to him to help support his growing family. Today, he works as an extra board operator, which fill empty shifts at South Garage, which is a daily challenge he enjoys. And, after trying other employers, Mokonnen has decided that he plans to work at transit until he retires.
Shawn Nevins started at Metro Transit in 2019 after 20 years in property management. While commuting to work on a bus, it was Metro Transit operator who told him to consider a career with a commercial driver’s license. While he wasn’t at transit for long the first time, he always wanted to work his way back. In the interim, he did find a good union job driving trucks for a tile company; however, the company went under during the pandemic. Next, he moved to another transit provider to operate a bus. He found that the mostly suburban routes were boring, and he wanted more of a challenge and to be engaged in driving a bus. He also knew that Metro Transit had better benefits like a pension, good health benefits, and an extensive training program. He returned to transit in 2022 and is currently in route training and hopes to pass the stringent six-month probationary period to earn a full-time position. “I always wanted to return to transit,” he said. “If you put in your time, you get the benefits of seniority."
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Fast track your way to a new full-time career. No experience in bus operations is required and training is paid. Bus operators receive outstanding benefits like health care, annual salary increases, a pension plan, and an unlimited-ride bus pass. And, as many Metro Transit managers start their careers as operators, there's also room for growth. Visit metrotransit.org/drive to apply.