October 23, 2024 • 20 mins
This week Paul is talking with someone we could call a Transit Unplugged superfan—Schneider St. Preux—who says he's listened to every podcast episode and credits Transit Unplugged with helping him in his upward career trajectory.
We're so pleased to be part of Schneiders' career journey. As he says in this interview—listening and engaging in our podcast community, along with hard work, determination, and willingness to invest in himself, has taken Schneider from bus operator to General Superintendent of Bus Operations at Miami-Dade.
Schneider is also one of this year's Mass Transit Magazine's 40 Under 40 winners—a fitting acknowledgment of the accomplishments in his career thus far.
He also talks about the critical role of practical experience and the value of continuous education—Schneider says education gets you to the door and your hard work gets you through it.
Highlighting both the challenges and triumphs, Schneider offers valuable insights and advice for aspiring transit professionals, emphasizing self-belief, goal-setting, and the importance of investing in people. Paul and Schneider also talk about the importance of training new leaders, especially those who have been "doers" in what true leadership really means.
Coming up next week, we focus on a topic close to the hearts of everyone at Transit Unplugged—accessibility. Paul talks with Ron Brooks and Kristen Joyner about their new book which serves as and both a guidebook and inspiration for how to make transit, and the wider world, more accessible for everyone.
00:00 Introduction: A Unique Fan Story
00:42 Crazy Work Stories: The L from Hell
04:24 Meet Schneider St. Preux: A Rising Star in Transit
05:19 Career Journey: From Bus Operator to Superintendent
09:13 Catch Transit Unplugged TV on YouTube
10:09 Spending a year at Broward County Transit
12:44 The Importance of Education and Self-Investment
14:33 Leadership Insights: From Frontline to Management
18:00 Future of Public Transportation: Challenges and Innovations
18:00 Advice for Aspiring Transit Leaders
19:27 Conclusion: Bright Future Ahead
19:40 Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Paul Comfort (00:05):
You know, I've had a lot friends and fans come up to me at trade
shows, which I attend a lot of, andtell me, Paul, I love Transit Unplugged,
man, that's the greatest podcast, Ilisten to it all the time, but no one
has ever said to me what our guesttoday told me a year ago in Florida.
He came up to me at a transit conference.
He said, Paul, my name is Schneider St.
(00:25):
Prue.
and, I want you to know that I've listenedto every single episode of the Transit
Unplugged podcast, and it has helpedme advance in my career dramatically.
Wow.
What a great fan and what a greatstory that he tells us today.
Hey, so, I wanted to ask you,you know, drivers, people that
came up as bus operators, havelots of crazy stories, man.
(00:49):
and, and even managers do.
I've got, you know, when we go toconferences and, we sit down with
friends, we, we all talk about ourcrazy stories, you know, like the time
I got stuck on the 13th floor with anelevator, going to a pre bid meeting,
those kind of funny things, tell usabout the craziest thing that's ever
happened to you, or one of the craziestthings ever happened to you at work.
Schneider St. Preux (01:07):
So, sometimes we have some transit supervisors that work
with us right now, commonly remind me ofa story and it was, it was really funny.
it was funny to, now, right?
Yeah, I was driving on, I was drivingon one of our largest routes, at the
time it was called the Route L, and theynormally call it the L from hell, right?
And, which we renamed it after the BetterBus Network and called it the Route 79.
(01:30):
Right.
So I was operating a bus picking up mypassengers for the AM peak services and I
heard a semi truck, braking very hard andall I could hear is the tire screeching.
And while I was boarding the passengers,I saw this lady walking across
the street, without any shoes on.
And, I was like, holdon, she's coming my way.
(01:51):
So, so, you know, she, I let up on theI told her to make sure she behaved
herself, and, when, she sat down,Paul, to be honest with you, not
even a block away as I started movingthe bus, she started going crazy.
So, I opened up both doors and askedthe passengers to exit the bus, right,
(02:11):
because it's sort of like an emergencyhappened, and I told her, hey, listen,
you're gonna have to get off the bus,and I probably used some colorful words
I can't remember at that time, right?
And, I opened both doors, so she bypassedthe rear door, and I'm saying, okay,
she's gonna get off the front door.
no, she made a left and jumped inthe driver's seat, so, everybody
Paul Comfort (02:32):
started
Schneider St. Preux (02:34):
scrambling, and I had to rush up front, and at the time,
you could remove the handle from the bus,I removed the handle from the bus, and,
When I called for, when I called, bustraffic control, they sent, uh, PD there.
Till this day that remind me of that story
Paul Comfort (02:52):
and say, man, that lady
Schneider St. Preux (02:53):
almost took your bus, you wouldn't have been here today.
Paul Comfort (02:55):
Wow, that's something, man.
Well, you know, when you have thosekinds of experiences though, it does,
you say drivers remind you of it, butit also reminds them that you were in
their shoes, that you've done their job.
And I think that's beautiful, man.
How important is it?
Do you think to gain the respectof the people that work for you, to
know that you actually know theirjob well enough that you've done it?
Schneider St. Preux (03:17):
Yep, yep, yep.
So, absolutely, and that's anadvantage that I have, right?
you know, talking to the operators,understanding what they go through
on a day to day basis, right?
you can always relate, because, forthe most part, I think half of the bus
operators that we have here currently,I have driven with them, right,
during my time as a bus operator.
(03:37):
so every time they come to me, tellme stories, even some of the union
reps, right, I could definitely relate.
And I take it, it's, it's, it's aspecial place in my heart whenever an
operator is going through things, right?
And also it's an advantage too.
So when somebody tell you that theycan't do something, you could actually
say, well, I was in that position atone point and, it wasn't as challenging.
(04:01):
But, you know, definitely it gives youa better understanding, gives you a
better knowledge and actually when yousit at the table, you can relate and
you can even express to your, you know,your executive leadership, this is how
things happen behind that stairwell.
So, definitely, it's definitelyan advantage, when you have that
actual experience operating a bus
Paul Comfort (04:24):
Schneider St.
Preux is this year's award winner forone of the top 40 under 40 Mass Transit
leaders from Mass Transit Magazine.
He is the general superintendent of busoperations for the Miami Dade Department
of Transportation and Public Works.
He's worked his way up, began hiscareer in 2012 as a bus operator, a bus
driver, and now Heads up, bus operationsfor the largest transit agency in the
(04:48):
state of Florida and the 15th largestin the United States with 750 buses
and almost a $200 million budget.
And he tells us what it takes today.
On this episode, he takes us throughhis career, the lessons he's learned,
and gives direct, specific advice topeople who want to move up in the transit
industry about how they can do so.
Talks about investing in yourself andthe importance of higher education All
(05:11):
on this episode of Transit Unplugged.
I'm Paul Comfort.
Enjoy the show.
One of the greatest compliments I've everreceived for the podcast is when you gave
me, a year or so ago when I was at someconference or something and you said,
Paul, I've listened to every episode.
I think at the time it had been like 260.
I've listened to every episodeand I can say that this show
(05:33):
has helped me in my career.
Schneider St. Preux (05:35):
That's 100 percent true, Paul, and we
were at the FPTA conference.
I remember that conversation that we had.
Obviously, you know, as an aspiringleader or a person that wants to
move up in transportation, you haveto sort of become a junkie, right?
I have several books back there, andI got a couple of your books back
there that I purchased some time agowhere I was able to kind of venture
(05:56):
off and Find out, some more personableinformation about some of these
leaders and how they were successful.
So, throughout those wholeentire podcasts, obviously these
people can be human, right?
And they could actually tellyou, the do's, the don'ts, where
they were successful at, some,some failures or what have you.
So, I think I took advantage of thosepodcasts just to learn from some, career
(06:17):
leaders and some transportation leadersto, you know, kind of navigate my career.
Paul Comfort (06:22):
That's great, man.
Well, congratulations on your awardthis year of being one of Mass
Transit Magazine's Top 40 Under 40.
What, what an honor, man.
Schneider St. Preux (06:30):
Yeah, definitely, definitely.
I really appreciate it.
And, I guess my hard work was noticed and,made some, my bosses, Eulois Sean Adgerson
Joel Perez, definitely recommended me.
And, also I work hard every day, Paul,and, I really love transportation.
I became a transit nerd.
And I'm always committed to providingtransportation through the city.
(06:52):
In this industry.
So, I'm definitely honored and I'm veryhumbled for getting this recognition.
Paul Comfort (06:57):
Absolutely, man.
I was happy to be able to send arecommendation letter for you too,
because you definitely deserve it.
You are, you know, I don't even callyou an up and coming leader anymore.
You are a leader in the industry.
I mean, you've movedup and you've made it.
And, I know there's alot more to come for you.
And that's what I want totalk to you about today.
Tell me a little bit about, your career.
Schneider and, and what you've done andwhere you've gotten to where you're at.
Schneider St. Preux (07:18):
All right.
So, I started here at DTPW,formerly known as Miami Dade
Transit as a bus operator in 2012.
So, during that time, my, my careerpath wasn't in transportation.
I mean, I've heard so many testimonialsfrom other individuals, especially
some of these executive leaders,and how they got into transit.
And it's funny how everybodysimilarly had the same stuff.
(07:41):
They just applied and theynever thought about transit.
And my career path or whereI wanted to take my career
path was into law enforcement.
So I said, you know what, thisis probably the easiest way
for me to get into the county.
I applied for different, differentmunicipalities, different agencies,
and it just didn't happen.
(08:02):
So after being a young bus operator,listening to several testimonials from
other current bus operators, I was like,wow, these guys really like what they do.
So, having, that experience, you know,dealing with, the public, wanted to make
a difference in my community that I wasborn and raised in, down here in Miami,
(08:22):
I said, let me go ahead and try this out.
So, after a while, I got involvedin different organizations like
COMTO, also APTA and startedto see sort of the benefits in.
transportation.
So I saw several other individualsthat started the same area that I
started in, sat in the same seat,and they kind of climbed to the top.
(08:43):
So I kind of followed that transition.
So went from a bus operator to ascheduler, from a scheduler, bus
traffic control, and then I moved up tocurrently as a general superintendent.
So, it's similar to aDirector of operations.
So, I oversee somewhere close to 1,900 bus operators, which includes a
training department, a control center,as well as all the field operations.
(09:07):
And I, you know, I havea passion for this.
And I also want to continue to dothis for the rest of my career.
Paul Comfort (09:16):
Hey, sorry to interrupt the show, but I know if you're listening
to this podcast that you'd be interestedto know, The Transit Unplugged actually
has more products than just a podcast.
We also have a TV show.
Did you know that?
Yeah, it's called Transit Unplugged TV.
You can watch it on YouTube once a month.
It comes out on the secondThursday of every month.
And in it, we visit different citiesaround the world, just like we do on
(09:38):
this podcast, but you actually get tosee and hear, what's going on there.
We show you the food, the fun andculture, like a traditional travel show,
but then our unique spin is that wealso show you behind the scenes of the
public transportation system, and howto use that system to get around the
city, to see all those great sights.
I think you'll love it.
Tune in and subscribe, follow uson YouTube on Transit Unplugged TV
(10:01):
to get to see and hear the best inpublic transportation around the
world.
One thing you, you didn't mention,but you did move agencies one
time, and you went over to BrowardCounty, and then came back.
I'm wondering, what are your thoughtson, sometimes, it's funny, I just had
a conversation over dinner, this weekI was at a conference and we did one
(10:23):
of our, you know, Comfort Salon Dinnerswhere I invite leaders together and
we talk about our lives and careers.
And one of the guys was saying to theother, who was in a similar position
as you right now in another agency inAmerica and said to him, sometimes you
got to leave your agency and go somewhereelse, get another year to his experience.
And then it's like, they welcomeyou back in at a higher, at a
(10:46):
higher position or greater level.
What do you think of that?
Schneider St. Preux (10:49):
Paul, if anyone could do it, I would always
recommend them to do it, right?
Because, um, sometimes we become tooindoctrinated into the business practice
that we're doing at the current agency.
And it's always good tokind of expand your horizon.
Actually, you get to, you know, Kindof network with other individuals,
but you also get to see otherdifferent business practices.
(11:09):
Like, for example, how youdeal with the union, right?
Our union is totally differentfrom Miami to, the one that
they have in Brown County, ATU.
obviously it's South Florida andeverybody know each other, but the
business practice and the businessflow is completely different.
So you try to like take the best, thebest practices of both and try to make
(11:30):
it, try to marry them at some point.
obviously, size of agenciesdefinitely matter when you're trying
to make some of those changes.
and also too, the cultureis a big change as well.
So I think any leader, thebiggest issue or the hardest
part of their job will also, willalways be the change in culture.
But it was definitely great.
(11:51):
I had a great time there.
I spent a year workingunder Angelica Jones.
Uh, she right now, she's currently theDeputy Director at Broward County Transit
and they have a lot going up there too.
I know Coree is the CEO of it.
Yeah, Coree she's a sweetheart.
Yeah, she's great, she's great.
They have a great team, anexcellent team up there, and their
(12:15):
transit is expanding as well.
But I'm glad that I was able to comeback and um, you know, with open arms
and um, they uh, we have a lot goingon here in South Florida as well.
Paul Comfort (12:25):
Absolutely.
And we're going to get to that injust a minute, but I still want to
spend a little bit of time on yourcareer because this is a unique show.
We're talking, we normally talkto CEOs of transit agencies.
Here we're talking to a generalsuperintendent of bus operations,
who was recognized as one ofAmerica's top young leaders.
so I, I want to share with peopleyour career path a little bit more.
How important would you say education is?
(12:46):
Because you got a bachelor'sand a master's degree.
As you move up the ladder of success,what would you say to someone about
the importance of higher education?
Schneider St. Preux (12:54):
Higher education definitely gets you at the door, right?
Obviously, the experiencewill get you in the door.
But, investing in yourself, making surethat you, put that, that effort in,
investing in yourself, even getting into,different type of leadership programs
or even, different type of trainingprograms, certificates or what have you.
(13:14):
it's definitely a benefit and itgives you that opportunity just
to sit at the table to kind ofsell yourself or market yourself.
And it's just been a great pleasureand a benefit for me to move up
within transportation just asof getting my master's degree.
Paul Comfort (13:33):
again, the fellow that we were at dinner with us
last week is doing the same thing.
He's getting his master's.
and a lot of times when you work at apublic agency, they can help pay for it.
So that makes it evenbetter and easier, you know?
And, yeah.
It's tough.
I went to, I went to law school atnight while I was working running
transportation agencies, and I knowthat, you know, going to school, you
know, even part time, I was doing fulltime, 10 to 12 credits a semester.
(13:56):
It's challenging.
I think it's important to stress topeople that as you move up the career
ladder, normally executive positions.
Require advanced degrees, which would meana master's of some type or a doctorate
of some type, like a JD would I have.
So it's, it's important.
I like the word, the word youuse too, is invest in yourself.
That's really what you're doing.
It's not easy.
if you have a family like you didand you're working and then you're
(14:18):
also going to school, sometimes youhave to prioritize what's happening.
You're like, that's what I did.
Schneider St. Preux (14:22):
definitely, you know, it's about investing in
yourself and committing to something,especially once you set a goal.
So if you want to set that goal, reachthat goal, go out there and go get it.
That's beautiful, man.
Paul Comfort (14:33):
Hey, I want to ask you another question about,
career changes for people.
So, one of the concerns I have seenover my 37 years now working in public
transportation is that, people areoften promoted from a frontline worker,
like a driver, or maybe an A mechanic,to supervisor roles because they do a
great job at at driving or at turningthe wrench, but when they move to the
(14:55):
supervisory positions, they're notgiven the full scope of training that
they need, not just to like, let'ssay for you, okay, now, you know,
Schneider, you're not a driver anymore.
Now you're going to bea manager of drivers.
So maybe they show you how to do payroll.
Maybe they show you how to do a few thingsthat you need to know administratively,
but explaining to them that yourjob is now not your own performance.
(15:18):
Your job is to getperformance from others.
Talk to us about that dynamic.
Schneider St. Preux (15:22):
Yeah.
So yeah, I'm glad youasked that question, Paul.
Because, that happens all the time, right?
And, I'm pretty sure it happensin the private sector, too.
we're all guilty of it.
I mean, you, you have peopleat the executive leadership
level that does the same thing.
You have your, your, what you would callyour, your thoroughbred or the person
that produces the most, the people thatunderstand how to do the job the best.
(15:46):
We always want to take advantageof those individuals and give them
an opportunity by making them moveto the next level, which we would
think that they would be successful.
Sometime the learning curveis very, very hard, Paul.
I've seen several colleagues severalemployees that I've had an opportunity
to promote that couldn't actually,you know, get around that curve to
(16:08):
be successful in the supervisoryrole from the frontline position.
At the end of the day, the way that wekind of combat those type of challenges
is to ensure that we invest in our people.
Right?
And that's one of our pillars here atDTPW that the director has continued to
push on to us, is to invest in our people,making sure that we provide them the
(16:28):
training that they need to be a part of.
Making sure that you're following up withyour folks, making sure that you show them
that you care about them and providingthem the opportunity, which is great.
Now, not everyone, wants that opportunity,but if we do give them that opportunity,
we have to make sure that, we invest inthem to make sure that they're successful.
Paul Comfort (16:48):
I think people need to have a healthy degree of self knowledge.
Don't they?
About, do I really want this?
Because it really is.
So when you go home tonight, youcan't turn your cell phone off.
You can't turn your radio off.
You've got to be ready.
Don't you?
Schneider St. Preux (17:01):
Right, right, right.
You definitely do.
I mean, this, and specifically to busoperations, it's a 24 7 operations, right?
And, you know, most of usunderstand that, and, like me,
my wife understands it as well.
So, when my phone is ringing in the middleof the night, or we have to activate the
EOC, I have to be ready to go, right?
It's a commitment.
And my commitment was to, you know, giveeverything that I have to transportation.
(17:26):
that's when I started, and I said, youknow what, this is what I'm in it for.
obviously with individuals that, youknow, that, that we seem to think
that they deserve an opportunity.
Some of them don't want to takeadvantage of it because they
don't want those responsibilities.
nevertheless, I've seensuccessful stories as well where.
Individuals that thought theycouldn't do it, became superstars
(17:48):
and they continue to climb up, right?
So, again, it goes back to, youknow, what do you want to do?
Set your goals, invest in yourpeople, making them feel comfortable.
And, making them feel like theyare part of the team as well.
Paul Comfort (18:00):
The last question, Schneider, you, you basically, it
looks like you've had like a 12 yearcareer in the industry and moved from
driver to, superintendent of all thedrivers, over a thousand drivers.
Pretty awesome, dude.
as someone's listening to this whomaybe wants to follow a career path like
yours and move up in the industry tomanagement and senior management, what's
your advice you would give to them today?
Schneider St. Preux (18:20):
Yeah, well, one of my advice is to believe in yourself, right?
Believe in yourselfand invest in yourself.
Don't, don't short your change yourself.
Always set your goals.
Once you understand how to set yourgoals and try to reach them on a regular
basis, you begin to invest in yourself.
One of the ways that I becamesuccessful is knowing my job, right?
(18:43):
And I think that every successful CEO,whether it's in public transportation
or in any other organization, right?
is that they know their business.
So, knowing your craft, knowingand understanding what is your
responsibility on a regular day basiswill always make you successful.
you don't have to be an actual subjectmatter expert at each and every
(19:05):
subject, but just understanding.
as you continue to move up Within theorganization, you will definitely be
able to get subject or surround yourselfaround a subject matter expert that knows
the business that will help you makebetter decisions as you move right along.
So, just believing into yourself,you know, investing in yourself
and understanding your businesswill take you a long way.
(19:26):
That's
Paul Comfort (19:27):
great.
Schneider Saint Preux, thankyou for being our guest today.
One of America's top 40under 40 transit leaders.
the future is very brightfor you, my friend.
Schneider St. Preux (19:35):
Appreciate it.
Appreciate it, Paul.
And thank you.
I really appreciate youfor having me on this show.
Tris Hussey (19:43):
Thank you to Schneider St.
Prue for being a guest.
Guest on the show this weekendsharing his inspiring career path.
Hi, I'm Tris Hussey editor of TransitUnplugged and coming up next week is
a topic that's near and dear to ourhearts on the show accessibility.
On the next episode, Paul chatswith Ron Brooks and Kristin
Joyner about their new book.
All the board conducting accessible.
(20:06):
Ron and Kristin talk aboutreal practical things.
You.
I can do to improve accessibility at work.
At conferences.
And across your agency.
Transit unplugged is brought to you by.
Modaxo at Modaxo we're passionateabout moving the world's people.
And that transit unplugged.
We're passionate abouttelling those stories.
So until next week, ridesafe and ride happy.
You know, I've had a lot friends and fans come up to me at trade
shows, which I attend a lot of, andtell me, Paul, I love Transit Unplugged,
man, that's the greatest podcast, Ilisten to it all the time, but no one
has ever said to me what our guesttoday told me a year ago in Florida.
He came up to me at a transit conference.
He said, Paul, my name is Schneider St.
(00:25):
Prue.
and, I want you to know that I've listenedto every single episode of the Transit
Unplugged podcast, and it has helpedme advance in my career dramatically.
Wow.
What a great fan and what a greatstory that he tells us today.
Hey, so, I wanted to ask you,you know, drivers, people that
came up as bus operators, havelots of crazy stories, man.
(00:49):
and, and even managers do.
I've got, you know, when we go toconferences and, we sit down with
friends, we, we all talk about ourcrazy stories, you know, like the time
I got stuck on the 13th floor with anelevator, going to a pre bid meeting,
those kind of funny things, tell usabout the craziest thing that's ever
happened to you, or one of the craziestthings ever happened to you at work.
Schneider St. Preux (01:07):
So, sometimes we have some transit supervisors that work
with us right now, commonly remind me ofa story and it was, it was really funny.
it was funny to, now, right?
Yeah, I was driving on, I was drivingon one of our largest routes, at the
time it was called the Route L, and theynormally call it the L from hell, right?
And, which we renamed it after the BetterBus Network and called it the Route 79.
(01:30):
Right.
So I was operating a bus picking up mypassengers for the AM peak services and I
heard a semi truck, braking very hard andall I could hear is the tire screeching.
And while I was boarding the passengers,I saw this lady walking across
the street, without any shoes on.
And, I was like, holdon, she's coming my way.
(01:51):
So, so, you know, she, I let up on theI told her to make sure she behaved
herself, and, when, she sat down,Paul, to be honest with you, not
even a block away as I started movingthe bus, she started going crazy.
So, I opened up both doors and askedthe passengers to exit the bus, right,
(02:11):
because it's sort of like an emergencyhappened, and I told her, hey, listen,
you're gonna have to get off the bus,and I probably used some colorful words
I can't remember at that time, right?
And, I opened both doors, so she bypassedthe rear door, and I'm saying, okay,
she's gonna get off the front door.
no, she made a left and jumped inthe driver's seat, so, everybody
Paul Comfort (02:32):
started
Schneider St. Preux (02:34):
scrambling, and I had to rush up front, and at the time,
you could remove the handle from the bus,I removed the handle from the bus, and,
When I called for, when I called, bustraffic control, they sent, uh, PD there.
Till this day that remind me of that story
Paul Comfort (02:52):
and say, man, that lady
Schneider St. Preux (02:53):
almost took your bus, you wouldn't have been here today.
Paul Comfort (02:55):
Wow, that's something, man.
Well, you know, when you have thosekinds of experiences though, it does,
you say drivers remind you of it, butit also reminds them that you were in
their shoes, that you've done their job.
And I think that's beautiful, man.
How important is it?
Do you think to gain the respectof the people that work for you, to
know that you actually know theirjob well enough that you've done it?
Schneider St. Preux (03:17):
Yep, yep, yep.
So, absolutely, and that's anadvantage that I have, right?
you know, talking to the operators,understanding what they go through
on a day to day basis, right?
you can always relate, because, forthe most part, I think half of the bus
operators that we have here currently,I have driven with them, right,
during my time as a bus operator.
(03:37):
so every time they come to me, tellme stories, even some of the union
reps, right, I could definitely relate.
And I take it, it's, it's, it's aspecial place in my heart whenever an
operator is going through things, right?
And also it's an advantage too.
So when somebody tell you that theycan't do something, you could actually
say, well, I was in that position atone point and, it wasn't as challenging.
(04:01):
But, you know, definitely it gives youa better understanding, gives you a
better knowledge and actually when yousit at the table, you can relate and
you can even express to your, you know,your executive leadership, this is how
things happen behind that stairwell.
So, definitely, it's definitelyan advantage, when you have that
actual experience operating a bus
Paul Comfort (04:24):
Schneider St.
Preux is this year's award winner forone of the top 40 under 40 Mass Transit
leaders from Mass Transit Magazine.
He is the general superintendent of busoperations for the Miami Dade Department
of Transportation and Public Works.
He's worked his way up, began hiscareer in 2012 as a bus operator, a bus
driver, and now Heads up, bus operationsfor the largest transit agency in the
(04:48):
state of Florida and the 15th largestin the United States with 750 buses
and almost a $200 million budget.
And he tells us what it takes today.
On this episode, he takes us throughhis career, the lessons he's learned,
and gives direct, specific advice topeople who want to move up in the transit
industry about how they can do so.
Talks about investing in yourself andthe importance of higher education All
(05:11):
on this episode of Transit Unplugged.
I'm Paul Comfort.
Enjoy the show.
One of the greatest compliments I've everreceived for the podcast is when you gave
me, a year or so ago when I was at someconference or something and you said,
Paul, I've listened to every episode.
I think at the time it had been like 260.
I've listened to every episodeand I can say that this show
(05:33):
has helped me in my career.
Schneider St. Preux (05:35):
That's 100 percent true, Paul, and we
were at the FPTA conference.
I remember that conversation that we had.
Obviously, you know, as an aspiringleader or a person that wants to
move up in transportation, you haveto sort of become a junkie, right?
I have several books back there, andI got a couple of your books back
there that I purchased some time agowhere I was able to kind of venture
(05:56):
off and Find out, some more personableinformation about some of these
leaders and how they were successful.
So, throughout those wholeentire podcasts, obviously these
people can be human, right?
And they could actually tellyou, the do's, the don'ts, where
they were successful at, some,some failures or what have you.
So, I think I took advantage of thosepodcasts just to learn from some, career
(06:17):
leaders and some transportation leadersto, you know, kind of navigate my career.
Paul Comfort (06:22):
That's great, man.
Well, congratulations on your awardthis year of being one of Mass
Transit Magazine's Top 40 Under 40.
What, what an honor, man.
Schneider St. Preux (06:30):
Yeah, definitely, definitely.
I really appreciate it.
And, I guess my hard work was noticed and,made some, my bosses, Eulois Sean Adgerson
Joel Perez, definitely recommended me.
And, also I work hard every day, Paul,and, I really love transportation.
I became a transit nerd.
And I'm always committed to providingtransportation through the city.
(06:52):
In this industry.
So, I'm definitely honored and I'm veryhumbled for getting this recognition.
Paul Comfort (06:57):
Absolutely, man.
I was happy to be able to send arecommendation letter for you too,
because you definitely deserve it.
You are, you know, I don't even callyou an up and coming leader anymore.
You are a leader in the industry.
I mean, you've movedup and you've made it.
And, I know there's alot more to come for you.
And that's what I want totalk to you about today.
Tell me a little bit about, your career.
Schneider and, and what you've done andwhere you've gotten to where you're at.
Schneider St. Preux (07:18):
All right.
So, I started here at DTPW,formerly known as Miami Dade
Transit as a bus operator in 2012.
So, during that time, my, my careerpath wasn't in transportation.
I mean, I've heard so many testimonialsfrom other individuals, especially
some of these executive leaders,and how they got into transit.
And it's funny how everybodysimilarly had the same stuff.
(07:41):
They just applied and theynever thought about transit.
And my career path or whereI wanted to take my career
path was into law enforcement.
So I said, you know what, thisis probably the easiest way
for me to get into the county.
I applied for different, differentmunicipalities, different agencies,
and it just didn't happen.
(08:02):
So after being a young bus operator,listening to several testimonials from
other current bus operators, I was like,wow, these guys really like what they do.
So, having, that experience, you know,dealing with, the public, wanted to make
a difference in my community that I wasborn and raised in, down here in Miami,
(08:22):
I said, let me go ahead and try this out.
So, after a while, I got involvedin different organizations like
COMTO, also APTA and startedto see sort of the benefits in.
transportation.
So I saw several other individualsthat started the same area that I
started in, sat in the same seat,and they kind of climbed to the top.
(08:43):
So I kind of followed that transition.
So went from a bus operator to ascheduler, from a scheduler, bus
traffic control, and then I moved up tocurrently as a general superintendent.
So, it's similar to aDirector of operations.
So, I oversee somewhere close to 1,900 bus operators, which includes a
training department, a control center,as well as all the field operations.
(09:07):
And I, you know, I havea passion for this.
And I also want to continue to dothis for the rest of my career.
Paul Comfort (09:16):
Hey, sorry to interrupt the show, but I know if you're listening
to this podcast that you'd be interestedto know, The Transit Unplugged actually
has more products than just a podcast.
We also have a TV show.
Did you know that?
Yeah, it's called Transit Unplugged TV.
You can watch it on YouTube once a month.
It comes out on the secondThursday of every month.
And in it, we visit different citiesaround the world, just like we do on
(09:38):
this podcast, but you actually get tosee and hear, what's going on there.
We show you the food, the fun andculture, like a traditional travel show,
but then our unique spin is that wealso show you behind the scenes of the
public transportation system, and howto use that system to get around the
city, to see all those great sights.
I think you'll love it.
Tune in and subscribe, follow uson YouTube on Transit Unplugged TV
(10:01):
to get to see and hear the best inpublic transportation around the
world.
One thing you, you didn't mention,but you did move agencies one
time, and you went over to BrowardCounty, and then came back.
I'm wondering, what are your thoughtson, sometimes, it's funny, I just had
a conversation over dinner, this weekI was at a conference and we did one
(10:23):
of our, you know, Comfort Salon Dinnerswhere I invite leaders together and
we talk about our lives and careers.
And one of the guys was saying to theother, who was in a similar position
as you right now in another agency inAmerica and said to him, sometimes you
got to leave your agency and go somewhereelse, get another year to his experience.
And then it's like, they welcomeyou back in at a higher, at a
(10:46):
higher position or greater level.
What do you think of that?
Schneider St. Preux (10:49):
Paul, if anyone could do it, I would always
recommend them to do it, right?
Because, um, sometimes we become tooindoctrinated into the business practice
that we're doing at the current agency.
And it's always good tokind of expand your horizon.
Actually, you get to, you know, Kindof network with other individuals,
but you also get to see otherdifferent business practices.
(11:09):
Like, for example, how youdeal with the union, right?
Our union is totally differentfrom Miami to, the one that
they have in Brown County, ATU.
obviously it's South Florida andeverybody know each other, but the
business practice and the businessflow is completely different.
So you try to like take the best, thebest practices of both and try to make
(11:30):
it, try to marry them at some point.
obviously, size of agenciesdefinitely matter when you're trying
to make some of those changes.
and also too, the cultureis a big change as well.
So I think any leader, thebiggest issue or the hardest
part of their job will also, willalways be the change in culture.
But it was definitely great.
(11:51):
I had a great time there.
I spent a year workingunder Angelica Jones.
Uh, she right now, she's currently theDeputy Director at Broward County Transit
and they have a lot going up there too.
I know Coree is the CEO of it.
Yeah, Coree she's a sweetheart.
Yeah, she's great, she's great.
They have a great team, anexcellent team up there, and their
(12:15):
transit is expanding as well.
But I'm glad that I was able to comeback and um, you know, with open arms
and um, they uh, we have a lot goingon here in South Florida as well.
Paul Comfort (12:25):
Absolutely.
And we're going to get to that injust a minute, but I still want to
spend a little bit of time on yourcareer because this is a unique show.
We're talking, we normally talkto CEOs of transit agencies.
Here we're talking to a generalsuperintendent of bus operations,
who was recognized as one ofAmerica's top young leaders.
so I, I want to share with peopleyour career path a little bit more.
How important would you say education is?
(12:46):
Because you got a bachelor'sand a master's degree.
As you move up the ladder of success,what would you say to someone about
the importance of higher education?
Schneider St. Preux (12:54):
Higher education definitely gets you at the door, right?
Obviously, the experiencewill get you in the door.
But, investing in yourself, making surethat you, put that, that effort in,
investing in yourself, even getting into,different type of leadership programs
or even, different type of trainingprograms, certificates or what have you.
(13:14):
it's definitely a benefit and itgives you that opportunity just
to sit at the table to kind ofsell yourself or market yourself.
And it's just been a great pleasureand a benefit for me to move up
within transportation just asof getting my master's degree.
Paul Comfort (13:33):
again, the fellow that we were at dinner with us
last week is doing the same thing.
He's getting his master's.
and a lot of times when you work at apublic agency, they can help pay for it.
So that makes it evenbetter and easier, you know?
And, yeah.
It's tough.
I went to, I went to law school atnight while I was working running
transportation agencies, and I knowthat, you know, going to school, you
know, even part time, I was doing fulltime, 10 to 12 credits a semester.
(13:56):
It's challenging.
I think it's important to stress topeople that as you move up the career
ladder, normally executive positions.
Require advanced degrees, which would meana master's of some type or a doctorate
of some type, like a JD would I have.
So it's, it's important.
I like the word, the word youuse too, is invest in yourself.
That's really what you're doing.
It's not easy.
if you have a family like you didand you're working and then you're
(14:18):
also going to school, sometimes youhave to prioritize what's happening.
You're like, that's what I did.
Schneider St. Preux (14:22):
definitely, you know, it's about investing in
yourself and committing to something,especially once you set a goal.
So if you want to set that goal, reachthat goal, go out there and go get it.
That's beautiful, man.
Paul Comfort (14:33):
Hey, I want to ask you another question about,
career changes for people.
So, one of the concerns I have seenover my 37 years now working in public
transportation is that, people areoften promoted from a frontline worker,
like a driver, or maybe an A mechanic,to supervisor roles because they do a
great job at at driving or at turningthe wrench, but when they move to the
(14:55):
supervisory positions, they're notgiven the full scope of training that
they need, not just to like, let'ssay for you, okay, now, you know,
Schneider, you're not a driver anymore.
Now you're going to bea manager of drivers.
So maybe they show you how to do payroll.
Maybe they show you how to do a few thingsthat you need to know administratively,
but explaining to them that yourjob is now not your own performance.
(15:18):
Your job is to getperformance from others.
Talk to us about that dynamic.
Schneider St. Preux (15:22):
Yeah.
So yeah, I'm glad youasked that question, Paul.
Because, that happens all the time, right?
And, I'm pretty sure it happensin the private sector, too.
we're all guilty of it.
I mean, you, you have peopleat the executive leadership
level that does the same thing.
You have your, your, what you would callyour, your thoroughbred or the person
that produces the most, the people thatunderstand how to do the job the best.
(15:46):
We always want to take advantageof those individuals and give them
an opportunity by making them moveto the next level, which we would
think that they would be successful.
Sometime the learning curveis very, very hard, Paul.
I've seen several colleagues severalemployees that I've had an opportunity
to promote that couldn't actually,you know, get around that curve to
(16:08):
be successful in the supervisoryrole from the frontline position.
At the end of the day, the way that wekind of combat those type of challenges
is to ensure that we invest in our people.
Right?
And that's one of our pillars here atDTPW that the director has continued to
push on to us, is to invest in our people,making sure that we provide them the
(16:28):
training that they need to be a part of.
Making sure that you're following up withyour folks, making sure that you show them
that you care about them and providingthem the opportunity, which is great.
Now, not everyone, wants that opportunity,but if we do give them that opportunity,
we have to make sure that, we invest inthem to make sure that they're successful.
Paul Comfort (16:48):
I think people need to have a healthy degree of self knowledge.
Don't they?
About, do I really want this?
Because it really is.
So when you go home tonight, youcan't turn your cell phone off.
You can't turn your radio off.
You've got to be ready.
Don't you?
Schneider St. Preux (17:01):
Right, right, right.
You definitely do.
I mean, this, and specifically to busoperations, it's a 24 7 operations, right?
And, you know, most of usunderstand that, and, like me,
my wife understands it as well.
So, when my phone is ringing in the middleof the night, or we have to activate the
EOC, I have to be ready to go, right?
It's a commitment.
And my commitment was to, you know, giveeverything that I have to transportation.
(17:26):
that's when I started, and I said, youknow what, this is what I'm in it for.
obviously with individuals that, youknow, that, that we seem to think
that they deserve an opportunity.
Some of them don't want to takeadvantage of it because they
don't want those responsibilities.
nevertheless, I've seensuccessful stories as well where.
Individuals that thought theycouldn't do it, became superstars
(17:48):
and they continue to climb up, right?
So, again, it goes back to, youknow, what do you want to do?
Set your goals, invest in yourpeople, making them feel comfortable.
And, making them feel like theyare part of the team as well.
Paul Comfort (18:00):
The last question, Schneider, you, you basically, it
looks like you've had like a 12 yearcareer in the industry and moved from
driver to, superintendent of all thedrivers, over a thousand drivers.
Pretty awesome, dude.
as someone's listening to this whomaybe wants to follow a career path like
yours and move up in the industry tomanagement and senior management, what's
your advice you would give to them today?
Schneider St. Preux (18:20):
Yeah, well, one of my advice is to believe in yourself, right?
Believe in yourselfand invest in yourself.
Don't, don't short your change yourself.
Always set your goals.
Once you understand how to set yourgoals and try to reach them on a regular
basis, you begin to invest in yourself.
One of the ways that I becamesuccessful is knowing my job, right?
(18:43):
And I think that every successful CEO,whether it's in public transportation
or in any other organization, right?
is that they know their business.
So, knowing your craft, knowingand understanding what is your
responsibility on a regular day basiswill always make you successful.
you don't have to be an actual subjectmatter expert at each and every
(19:05):
subject, but just understanding.
as you continue to move up Within theorganization, you will definitely be
able to get subject or surround yourselfaround a subject matter expert that knows
the business that will help you makebetter decisions as you move right along.
So, just believing into yourself,you know, investing in yourself
and understanding your businesswill take you a long way.
(19:26):
That's
Paul Comfort (19:27):
great.
Schneider Saint Preux, thankyou for being our guest today.
One of America's top 40under 40 transit leaders.
the future is very brightfor you, my friend.
Schneider St. Preux (19:35):
Appreciate it.
Appreciate it, Paul.
And thank you.
I really appreciate youfor having me on this show.
Tris Hussey (19:43):
Thank you to Schneider St.
Prue for being a guest.
Guest on the show this weekendsharing his inspiring career path.
Hi, I'm Tris Hussey editor of TransitUnplugged and coming up next week is
a topic that's near and dear to ourhearts on the show accessibility.
On the next episode, Paul chatswith Ron Brooks and Kristin
Joyner about their new book.
All the board conducting accessible.
(20:06):
Ron and Kristin talk aboutreal practical things.
You.
I can do to improve accessibility at work.
At conferences.
And across your agency.
Transit unplugged is brought to you by.
Modaxo at Modaxo we're passionateabout moving the world's people.
And that transit unplugged.
We're passionate abouttelling those stories.
So until next week, ridesafe and ride happy.
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