Thomas Myers was working in security and taking odd jobs when his mother suggested, strongly and more than once, that he try becoming a bus operator. Reluctantly, he submitted an application. A year later, he received an offer and began working out of the Heywood Garage. At first, he thought being a bus operator would be just another job. After a few years, though, he realized it could be much more than that. Ultimately, Myers would build a 30-year career in transit that included time as a bus operator, train operator, rail dispatcher and rail supervisor.

While Myers didn’t have any experience driving large vehicles, he was no stranger to transit. Growing up in Minneapolis, he rode buses as early as he could remember and even had a driver who allowed him to crank the rear destination sign when they reached the end of the line. While he had his doubts, Myers soon found he liked the independence and the chance to spend his days on the move. “It got to the point where I couldn’t wait to get up and go to work I was so eager,” he said.

After 20 years as a bus operator, though, Myers decided to go in a new direction and became a train operator. Immediately, he was impressed by the chance to operate Blue Line trains in heavy snow, to go through tunnels and to avoid traffic. Being in the operator’s cab, he said, was “just heaven.” Later, Myers became a rail dispatcher and used that experience to apply for a rail supervisor job. As a supervisor, Myers helped keep trains on schedule in the field and in the Rail Control Center, where train movements are monitored and controlled. Being in the RCC, with a wall of oversized monitors and other equipment, he felt “like a kid in a candy store.” Myers was also proud to be the first supervisor to use a new SCADA system.

Reflecting on his career shortly after his 2020 retirement, Myers said he was glad his mother had encouraged him to apply all those years ago, even if he didn’t necessarily want to admit that she was right. “I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction, but she knew I appreciated it,” he said. In retirement, Myers hoped to find a new line of part-time work and to relocate to warmer weather.