‘I’ve made a friend for life’ Mentors Moving Metro making a difference

Karin Peterson is a veteran operator going on three decades of service with Metro. She started driving because, as a single mother, Metro’s flexible schedule and benefits matched her needs for her family.

LaToya Lewis came to Metro in 2024 after a family member suggested it was a good fit since she already had a Commercial Driver License. She graduated from operator training and became one of the growing number of new drivers to join Metro.

Through a program called “Mentors Moving Metro,” they have formed a bond that LaToya says goes beyond being bus drivers.

“This is knowledge that is going to help me for a long time,” LaToya said, “and she’s always there when I need her.”

Mentors Moving Metro is a pilot program that was brought to Metro by the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU). ATU Local 587 and King County Metro formed a partnership to implement the program starting with Bus Operations. The program matches experienced operators with new operators for six to 12 months.

“Metro is a big system and being fresh to the system (I was) trying to figure out how to navigate it,” LaToya said. “I was happy to know there was a very experienced driver who has gone through some of the same feelings and emotions and was willing to walk me through all of the processes of starting at Metro.”

A friend to help map out Metro

Karin has been more than willing to share her knowledge with new operators as they come in. Her participation in Mentors Moving Metro continues what she already saw as a vital part of her job:   helping those starting to become comfortable driving for Metro.

“I’ve often thought about how frustrated new drivers are. I remember like it was yesterday—how frustrated I was. It is a big system, there’s ‘Metro Lingo,’ so many venues and things that you can do at Metro that I had no idea about it.

“After I moved from North Base to East Base, I had a couple of drivers take me under their wing and helped teach me all of what was involved and how to make the most out of the job. So, when I learned there was going to be a program in which you were attached to somebody to help them learn all of the things that took me forever to learn, I knew it was an opportunity to help people.”

For Karin, that knowledge is as basic as filling out paperwork and showing people “where the locker rooms and bathrooms are.”

“There’s a lot of details that people don’t talk about as you go into a base for the first time, you sort of stand there like a lost soul until someone grabs you,” Karin said. “I enjoy being that person who helps you.”

Karin has been with LaToya since ‘day one’   

For LaToya, it started when Patrick Brady, the ATU co-coordinator for the Mentors program, came to one of the training classes and spoke about the program.  “I filled out a program that helped match me up with the best fit possible,” LaToya said.

LaToya met Karin at her graduation and knows “she’ll always be there to guide me along the way and answer questions on any endeavors I choose as I continue in Metro.

“She knows the ins and outs; I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor.”

Finding time can be a challenge for Karin and LaToya. Though they work different shifts a—Karin works early mornings driving at East Base, and LaToya’s currently operating out of Atlantic Base on overnight routes—they make time.

“We text a lot, but she is literally a phone call away,” LaToya said. “I try not to bug her too much, and I tell her how I’m catching on, but it’s good to know that she is there and is always available to talk to about anything.”

Experience to help grow your career

Along with answering questions, Karin said she will alert LaToya about opportunities that come up. “I always try to tell her about committees that are available to join to help learn more about Metro.”

Those who are part of the Mentors Moving Metro program agree to participate for up to a year, but both Karin and LaToya agree that they will stay together for the foreseeable future. Both called it the foundation for lifelong friendship.

For LaToya, this is gaining knowledge that she will be able to pass on to future drivers.

“I think about that all the time, one day I would love to give it back to someone sitting in the seat that I once was in. I would love to be a shoulder that a new driver can lean on so they can have a great experience also,” LaToya said.

And for Karin, she is looking forward to helping someone from a future graduating class, while staying in contact with LaToya going into the future.

(Mentoring) “was something I mentioned to the Base Chief in the past,” she said. “I’m so glad we were able to get this going.”

Helping get through daily challenges

Karin is encouraging other veterans to become involved because it’s not as big of a job as some might think. “It can literally be just a couple of calls to ask how they’re doing. We’ve been asked to give a half an hour a month, and it’s incredible how quickly that time goes by—a little invested time goes a long way.”

As for those drivers who are just starting, LaToya said the benefit of the program is having someone who understands the challenges they face and are willing to help them get through it. “The unknown is scary, but my mentor has made it easy to plant my feet and get settled in,” she said. “Mentors are going to make you welcome, give you support and help you through those beginning fears.

“This is an awesome program!”

Interested in becoming a transit operator? Visit “Start your Metro career” to explore well-paying positions with full benefits and a pension in transit operations, trades, rail operations, customer information and countless other fields.