A San Francisco Bus Driver Navigates the Ups and Downs of Transit Operation

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Get a look from "the seat" as Muni driver Mc Allen describes why he loves his job and San Francisco and public transportation in general.

Mc also shares sides of the role we rarely see: a bus driver’s schedule, time off, pay, and the levels of autonomy, job demands, and social support known to define job stress.

Though we don’t use these words, listeners familiar with employee wellbeing principles will note Mc’s sense of purpose and belonging, as well as how he uses his skills as a poet to exemplify job crafting.

Learn more about Mc on his website, mc-allen.com, where you can read the poem he describes in the interview, The Bee of Moffitt Street. Mc is on X (formerly Twitter) at @that_mc and on Mastodon (where he and interviewer Bob Merberg first crossed paths) at @that_mc@sfba.social.

Also mentioned in this episode:

* Mc’s appearance at Muni Diaries (video).

* Mc’s anecdote in A Bus Driver's Story of Connection, Kindness, and Trust, posted in Heigh Ho.

* The second post in this series: Steering Thru Stress: What Bus Drivers' Working Lives Teach Us About Wellbeing. Learn the science that confirms, and is confirmed by, everything Mc shares regarding bus drivers’ working life.

About Mc Allen

Mc Allen believes that high quality public transportation is a powerful and essential part of the city. In 2021 he became a transit operator for the “Municipal Railway” (Muni) in San Francisco, where he lives with his wife and kids.

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