We're required to ride with every operator twice a year, so every day is different for me, and I've enjoyed it.” “I can jump on a bus and ride them around town. “My favorite thing about working here over the years is being around people all the time, and I'm not stuck behind a desk,” Minez said. He also helped start the UDASH system at the University of Montana, which is now a staple of student transportation. In his capacity as operations supervisor, Minez has trained more than 100 bus drivers, including most of those driving for Mountain Line. As such, he became the first certified transit operator in Montana, graduating as he did from a national program that was still new at the time. It was a whole different ballgame.”Ĭlad in a well-tied tie, Minez reflected on his career – how he started as a bus operator before receiving a promotion to operations supervisor. “You can be late, but you can't be early. “If you're 30 seconds early, you have to pull over and wait there,” he said. Mass transit is more about timing than speed.
But unlike his stint with UPS, he would have to learn to slow down. When UPS called, he signed up, but the demanding schedule proved taxing.Īs one might guess, that's what led Minez to Mountain Line as a bus driver. He left the Golden State for the less-than-sunny climate of Missoula, where he bought a piece of land and – of all things – the Arlee general store.īusiness at the general store didn't pan out, prompting Minez to take a job driving for the U.S Forest Service during the Yellowstone fires. While he didn't act on impulse, the loop in Minez's story suggests a dramatic change in lifestyles. But I came here and it was completely opposite. “Being in California, it's very materialistic. “I was sort of going through a midlife crisis – I was 35 and it was one of those things,” said Minez. While he didn't believe there was skiing in Montana, the invitation piqued his interest. It was then that a lady friend invited him to Missoula to ski and clear his head. He also skied and enjoyed fanciful outings in Austria and Canada, where a helicopter brought him in to steep, fresh powder.īut as the story goes, the toys don't make the man and Minez found himself dissatisfied with life. There in sunny Southern California, he'd acquired his share of toys, including two boats, a rare Panther sports car and a slick BMW. Living in Huntington Beach at the time, he worked in the grocery business and did well by all accounts. Minez, known simply as “Manny” around the shop, traveled something of a winding road before arriving in Missoula back when Ronald Reagan was president.
After 28 years on the job – and staring down his 69th birthday – the time has come to call it good, ending an historic run with the city's booming transit district. Now we have a GPS system, so when the bus meets a certain location, it automatically changes on the bus.”Īs Minez sat behind the wheel of a bright blue Mountain Line bus on Thursday, he did so facing retirement. “When I first started, we used to have a crank to change all our destinations, both above our head and over the door. “The IT part of it is completely different,” Minez said on Thursday. The fare was relatively cheap, though keeping track of the transfer tickets could be something of a chore.