Annual day of recognition, March 18, highlights amazing work of bus, MAX, WES, Portland Streetcar and LIFT paratransit operators

Every day of the year, TriMet’s hardworking transit operators drive the streets of communities across the Portland metro area, getting people where they need to go.

On March 18, Transit Driver Appreciation Day, we’re celebrating these amazing public servants for everything they do for riders throughout the region.

Please join us in showing our bus, MAX, WES, Portland Streetcar and LIFT paratransit operators how much we appreciate everything they do! Check out trimet.org/thankyou for more information and resources.

“Transit operators deserve to be appreciated every day,” says Donnie Vercher, TriMet’s Director of Bus Operations. “Give them a wave or a smile, greet them when you get on the bus, thank them when you get off the bus. A simple act of kindness makes your driver feel seen, valued and appreciated.”

Operators who care

Being a transit operator is hard work! Our operators learn to control large vehicles, share the road with cars, trucks, bicycles, pedestrians and other transit vehicles, and provide a safe, comfortable and welcoming atmosphere for their riders.

Even so, for many TriMet operators, it’s a dream job. Our operators feel comfortable at the wheel of a bus or the controls of a train. They look forward to the daily interactions they have with riders, greeting regulars by name and learning about their lives. They value small gestures of gratitude and respect, simple good-mornings and thank-yous that tell them their service is appreciated.

Here are the stories of just four of our amazing operators.

Ernest Huerta

For 13 years, Ernest Huerta has been welcoming riders aboard his TriMet bus with a friendly smile.

Ernest came to TriMet after working as a truck driver. He was looking for a steady job where he could put his skills behind the wheel to good use. At TriMet, he found what he had been looking for — including great pay and benefits.

Ernest found something else to love about TriMet, too. Instead of spending the day alone in the cab of a truck, he gets to greet riders throughout the day from the driver’s seat of his bus. He says it’s what he likes most about driving for TriMet.

“If you build the atmosphere, you’re nice to people, they’re going to reciprocate,” Ernest says.

Not only does Ernest appreciate the relationships he has built with his regular riders, he also enjoys meeting new people who get on his bus. That’s one of the reasons he likes working during special events, like the upcoming Portland Rose Festival. For him, every time he presses the button to open his bus’s doors is like opening a Cracker Jack box to find the prize inside.

“I’m always expecting the best,” Ernest says with a smile.

Cori Loggins

While Cori Loggins has only been driving for TriMet for a couple of years, our transit agency has been a part of his life for as long as he can remember.

Cori drove for TriMet LIFT for a few months before deciding to apply to become a bus operator. (LIFT paratransit drivers work with TriMet as contractors, while bus and MAX operators are TriMet employees.) After a short time driving buses for TriMet, he became a MAX operator.

“I got the confidence doing TriMet LIFT, doing the smaller buses,” Cori explains. “It’s like, if I could do this, I can do a bigger bus. If I could do the bus, I could possibly do a train. So, it’s been a journey.”

Cori says that for him, being a transit operator is a way to give back to his community. He also enjoys volunteering with employee groups, supporting people in need.

As a lifelong Portlander, Cori is proud of the service that TriMet provides, and he’s proud to be a part of it.

“Right here, we have one of the best transit systems in the country, if not the world,” says Cori, whose wife also works for TriMet. “That’s a blessing.”

Shana Peck

Just two years after she was hired, Shana Peck was named as our 2024 MAX Operator of the Year. It’s a huge honor that speaks to the reputation for excellence and the respect that Shana has earned in a relatively short time as an operator.

Like Cori, Shana worked with TriMet as a LIFT contractor before she was hired as a full-time operator. Her goal was to become a MAX operator, and she achieved it within months of officially joining TriMet.

“It was always kind of a dream to come work here, because there was a lot of opportunity,” Shana says.

Shana has enjoyed the opportunity to test the new MAX Type 6 trains. She fondly recalls putting them through their paces at 3 a.m. as part of the “burn-in,” a testing period that prepares our next-generation trains to welcome riders aboard.

As much as she likes operating MAX, Shana takes pride in serving her riders. Many of them depend on TriMet to get around.

“Seeing how many people that don’t drive, it’s nice being able to make a difference in people’s lives, getting them and from work every day or to the activities that they want to go to,” Shana says.

Jim Zinn

After a career in health care administration, Jim Zinn decided it was time for a new direction. He joined TriMet in 2018, drawn to the job by the excellent benefits that our employees receive.

Jim is well known at TriMet for his sense of humor, as well as his personal warmth and generosity. He often carries a roll of sparkly stickers with him, using them to decorate the interior of his TriMet FX® bus with positive messages and giving them out to people. In the wintertime, when it’s cold outside, he’ll even give away gloves to riders who need them.

“I think that the operators that we have out there are truly amazing people who are working very hard to help everybody get around our city, and really actively thinking of ways to make things better in our system and on their bus,” Jim says.

Like Ernest, Jim says creating a positive atmosphere on his bus is important to him. He likes knowing that he’s made someone’s day a little brighter.

“What makes my job unique is the people — connecting with different people, listening to their stories, listening to people talk on the bus, hearing them laugh when they get on,” Jim says. “That makes it fun, and you don’t get that in any other job.”

Sharing the love

Our operators aren’t just the face of TriMet — they are our heart and soul.

TriMet first celebrated a day for transit operators in 2013. Our commemoration of Transit Driver Appreciation Day caught on! In the years since then, many other transit agencies across the United States and Canada have begun celebrating March 18 as a special day of appreciation for operators and other transit employees.

You might hear some friendly honking, cheering and applause if you’re out and about in Downtown Portland today! TriMet’s “Tunnel of Appreciation” has become a beloved annual tradition for our employees to celebrate our more than 1,600 hardworking operators. Hundreds of our employees take shifts on the Transit Mall throughout the day, waving signs and rooting on transit operators at work — including our partners at C-TRAN! Fans and passersby are more than welcome to join us.

While cheering on operators at the PSU Urban Center and Beaverton, Clackamas Town Center, Gresham Central and Rose Quarter transit centers, we’ve set up “Banners of Appreciation” there, too. Riders are encouraged to write positive messages on them. The banners will be displayed at our bus and rail operations facilities for our operators to see.

You can also send in your own message of appreciation for TriMet operators at trimet.org/thankyou. This website has cards you can print out for operators, a graphic you can share on social media and more.

And, of course, you can make any day your own personal Transit Driver Appreciation Day:

• Say a quick “thank you” when you get off the bus.
• Wave to your MAX, WES or Portland Streetcar operator when you pass by the train.
• Be courteous and follow our Rules for Riding.
• If you have an exceptional experience on TriMet, consider submitting a commendation! Visit trimet.org/thanks, or call or text 503-238-7433 (RIDE). Commendations are part of a TriMet employee’s permanent record. Receiving one is a tremendous honor that helps validate the work our operators do to serve people every day.