When Rodney Smith wanted to make a career change, it was an old Route 6 operator who inspired him to apply at Metro Transit.

“I rode with him from northeast to south Minneapolis every day,” Smith said. “He was like a father figure.”

So, Smith left his manufacturing career at a major beverage company and began life as a bus operator with the number #365. When he began, Metro Transit was still making a transition from Twin Cities Lines, and he saw many major improvements over the years.

“When I started at the Old Northside Garage, the garage floor was dirt and it was pretty smoggy,” he recalled. “New operators don’t know how good they’ve got it. It’s 100% better than it was.”

Many buses also didn’t have heat, air conditioning, nor power steering, and starting wages were $6 an hour. For the last several years, however, Smith had it pretty good as the #2 in union seniority and just recently secured the #1 spot. This means he chooses work before every other operator in the company. But it wasn’t always that way.

“It took me many years to get off weekends,” Smith said. “Things get better over time.”

Beyond the benefits of seniority, operator camaraderie kept him signing in for duty at South Garage for 43 years. And the friendships he made inside the garage translated to friendships outside.

“I enjoyed all the sports leagues we’d be in, and the fishing group I organized and the trips we’d take together,” he said.

On the road, Smith most enjoyed operating the METRO Orange Line and Route 515. And on duty, his biggest focus was the road and safety, which earned him a 44-year safe driving award.

But as all good things must come to an end, Smith decided it was time to retire after 45 years of service.

“This job has been great,” Smith reflected. “But it’s time – I’m old enough.”

In retirement, he plans to spend more time with his wife, kids, and grandkids. He also plans to take many camping and fishing trips on Lake Michigan and in Wisconsin – some with friends from Metro Transit.