Driven to Succeed: Schneider St. Preux on climbing the transit career ladder

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You know, I've had a lot friends and fans come up to me at trade

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shows, which I attend a lot of, and tell me, Paul, I love Transit Unplugged,

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man, that's the greatest podcast, I listen to it all the time, but no one

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has ever said to me what our guest today told me a year ago in Florida.

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He came up to me at a transit conference.

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He said, Paul, my name is Schneider St.

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Prue.

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and, I want you to know that I've listened to every single episode of the Transit

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Unplugged podcast, and it has helped me advance in my career dramatically.

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Wow.

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What a great fan and what a great story that he tells us today.

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Hey, so, I wanted to ask you, you know, drivers, people that

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came up as bus operators, have lots of crazy stories, man.

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and, and even managers do.

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I've got, you know, when we go to conferences and, we sit down with

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friends, we, we all talk about our crazy stories, you know, like the time

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I got stuck on the 13th floor with an elevator, going to a pre bid meeting,

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those kind of funny things, tell us about the craziest thing that's ever

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happened to you, or one of the craziest things ever happened to you at work.

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Schneider St. Preux: So, sometimes we have some transit supervisors that work

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with us right now, commonly remind me of a story and it was, it was really funny.

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it was funny to, now, right?

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Yeah, I was driving on, I was driving on one of our largest routes, at the

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time it was called the Route L, and they normally call it the L from hell, right?

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And, which we renamed it after the Better Bus Network and called it the Route 79.

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Right.

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So I was operating a bus picking up my passengers for the AM peak services and I

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heard a semi truck, braking very hard and all I could hear is the tire screeching.

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And while I was boarding the passengers, I saw this lady walking across

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the street, without any shoes on.

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And, I was like, hold on, she's coming my way.

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So, so, you know, she, I let up on the I told her to make sure she behaved

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herself, and, when, she sat down, Paul, to be honest with you, not

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even a block away as I started moving the bus, she started going crazy.

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So, I opened up both doors and asked the passengers to exit the bus, right,

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because it's sort of like an emergency happened, and I told her, hey, listen,

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you're gonna have to get off the bus, and I probably used some colorful words

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I can't remember at that time, right?

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And, I opened both doors, so she bypassed the rear door, and I'm saying, okay,

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she's gonna get off the front door.

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no, she made a left and jumped in the driver's seat, so, everybody

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started

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Schneider St. Preux: scrambling, and I had to rush up front, and at the time,

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you could remove the handle from the bus, I removed the handle from the bus, and,

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When I called for, when I called, bus traffic control, they sent, uh, PD there.

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Till this day that remind me of that story

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and say, man, that lady

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Schneider St. Preux: almost took your bus, you wouldn't have been here today.

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Wow, that's something, man.

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Well, you know, when you have those kinds of experiences though, it does,

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you say drivers remind you of it, but it also reminds them that you were in

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their shoes, that you've done their job.

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And I think that's beautiful, man.

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How important is it?

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Do you think to gain the respect of the people that work for you, to

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know that you actually know their job well enough that you've done it?

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Schneider St. Preux: Yep, yep, yep.

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So, absolutely, and that's an advantage that I have, right?

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you know, talking to the operators, understanding what they go through

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on a day to day basis, right?

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you can always relate, because, for the most part, I think half of the bus

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operators that we have here currently, I have driven with them, right,

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during my time as a bus operator.

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so every time they come to me, tell me stories, even some of the union

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reps, right, I could definitely relate.

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And I take it, it's, it's, it's a special place in my heart whenever an

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operator is going through things, right?

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And also it's an advantage too.

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So when somebody tell you that they can't do something, you could actually

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say, well, I was in that position at one point and, it wasn't as challenging.

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But, you know, definitely it gives you a better understanding, gives you a

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better knowledge and actually when you sit at the table, you can relate and

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you can even express to your, you know, your executive leadership, this is how

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things happen behind that stairwell.

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So, definitely, it's definitely an advantage, when you have that

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actual experience operating a bus

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Schneider St.

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Preux is this year's award winner for one of the top 40 under 40 Mass Transit

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leaders from Mass Transit Magazine.

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He is the general superintendent of bus operations for the Miami Dade Department

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of Transportation and Public Works.

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He's worked his way up, began his career in 2012 as a bus operator, a bus

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driver, and now Heads up, bus operations for the largest transit agency in the

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state of Florida and the 15th largest in the United States with 750 buses

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and almost a $200 million budget.

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And he tells us what it takes today.

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On this episode, he takes us through his career, the lessons he's learned,

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and gives direct, specific advice to people who want to move up in the transit

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industry about how they can do so.

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Talks about investing in yourself and the importance of higher education All

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on this episode of Transit Unplugged.

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I'm Paul Comfort.

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Enjoy the show.

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One of the greatest compliments I've ever received for the podcast is when you gave

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me, a year or so ago when I was at some conference or something and you said,

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Paul, I've listened to every episode.

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I think at the time it had been like 260.

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I've listened to every episode and I can say that this show

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has helped me in my career.

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Schneider St. Preux: That's 100 percent true, Paul, and we

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were at the FPTA conference.

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I remember that conversation that we had.

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Obviously, you know, as an aspiring leader or a person that wants to

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move up in transportation, you have to sort of become a junkie, right?

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I have several books back there, and I got a couple of your books back

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there that I purchased some time ago where I was able to kind of venture

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off and Find out, some more personable information about some of these

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leaders and how they were successful.

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So, throughout those whole entire podcasts, obviously these

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people can be human, right?

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And they could actually tell you, the do's, the don'ts, where

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they were successful at, some, some failures or what have you.

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So, I think I took advantage of those podcasts just to learn from some, career

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leaders and some transportation leaders to, you know, kind of navigate my career.

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That's great, man.

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Well, congratulations on your award this year of being one of Mass

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Transit Magazine's Top 40 Under 40.

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What, what an honor, man.

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Schneider St. Preux: Yeah, definitely, definitely.

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I really appreciate it.

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And, I guess my hard work was noticed and, made some, my bosses, Eulois Sean Adgerson

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Joel Perez, definitely recommended me.

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And, also I work hard every day, Paul, and, I really love transportation.

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I became a transit nerd.

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And I'm always committed to providing transportation through the city.

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In this industry.

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So, I'm definitely honored and I'm very humbled for getting this recognition.

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Absolutely, man.

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I was happy to be able to send a recommendation letter for you too,

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because you definitely deserve it.

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You are, you know, I don't even call you an up and coming leader anymore.

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You are a leader in the industry.

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I mean, you've moved up and you've made it.

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And, I know there's a lot more to come for you.

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And that's what I want to talk to you about today.

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Tell me a little bit about, your career.

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Schneider and, and what you've done and where you've gotten to where you're at.

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Schneider St. Preux: All right.

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So, I started here at DTPW, formerly known as Miami Dade

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Transit as a bus operator in 2012.

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So, during that time, my, my career path wasn't in transportation.

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I mean, I've heard so many testimonials from other individuals, especially

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some of these executive leaders, and how they got into transit.

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And it's funny how everybody similarly had the same stuff.

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They just applied and they never thought about transit.

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And my career path or where I wanted to take my career

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path was into law enforcement.

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So I said, you know what, this is probably the easiest way

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for me to get into the county.

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I applied for different, different municipalities, different agencies,

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and it just didn't happen.

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So after being a young bus operator, listening to several testimonials from

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other current bus operators, I was like, wow, these guys really like what they do.

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So, having, that experience, you know, dealing with, the public, wanted to make

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a difference in my community that I was born and raised in, down here in Miami,

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I said, let me go ahead and try this out.

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So, after a while, I got involved in different organizations like

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COMTO, also APTA and started to see sort of the benefits in.

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transportation.

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So I saw several other individuals that started the same area that I

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started in, sat in the same seat, and they kind of climbed to the top.

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So I kind of followed that transition.

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So went from a bus operator to a scheduler, from a scheduler, bus

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traffic control, and then I moved up to currently as a general superintendent.

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So, it's similar to a Director of operations.

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So, I oversee somewhere close to 1, 900 bus operators, which includes a

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training department, a control center, as well as all the field operations.

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And I, you know, I have a passion for this.

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And I also want to continue to do this for the rest of my career.

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Hey, sorry to interrupt the show, but I know if you're listening

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to this podcast that you'd be interested to know, The Transit Unplugged actually

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has more products than just a podcast.

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We also have a TV show.

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Did you know that?

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Yeah, it's called Transit Unplugged TV.

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You can watch it on YouTube once a month.

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It comes out on the second Thursday of every month.

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And in it, we visit different cities around the world, just like we do on

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this podcast, but you actually get to see and hear, what's going on there.

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We show you the food, the fun and culture, like a traditional travel show,

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but then our unique spin is that we also show you behind the scenes of the

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public transportation system, and how to use that system to get around the

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city, to see all those great sights.

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I think you'll love it.

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Tune in and subscribe, follow us on YouTube on Transit Unplugged TV

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to get to see and hear the best in public transportation around the

Paul Comfort: 00:10:05

world.

Paul Comfort: 00:10:09

One thing you, you didn't mention, but you did move agencies one

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time, and you went over to Broward County, and then came back.

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I'm wondering, what are your thoughts on, sometimes, it's funny, I just had

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a conversation over dinner, this week I was at a conference and we did one

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of our, you know, Comfort Salon Dinners where I invite leaders together and

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we talk about our lives and careers.

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And one of the guys was saying to the other, who was in a similar position

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as you right now in another agency in America and said to him, sometimes you

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got to leave your agency and go somewhere else, get another year to his experience.

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And then it's like, they welcome you back in at a higher, at a

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higher position or greater level.

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What do you think of that?

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Schneider St. Preux: Paul, if anyone could do it, I would always

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recommend them to do it, right?

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Because, um, sometimes we become too indoctrinated into the business practice

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that we're doing at the current agency.

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And it's always good to kind of expand your horizon.

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Actually, you get to, you know, Kind of network with other individuals,

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but you also get to see other different business practices.

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Like, for example, how you deal with the union, right?

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Our union is totally different from Miami to, the one that

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they have in Brown County, ATU.

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obviously it's South Florida and everybody know each other, but the

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business practice and the business flow is completely different.

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So you try to like take the best, the best practices of both and try to make

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it, try to marry them at some point.

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obviously, size of agencies definitely matter when you're trying

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to make some of those changes.

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and also too, the culture is a big change as well.

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So I think any leader, the biggest issue or the hardest

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part of their job will also, will always be the change in culture.

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But it was definitely great.

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I had a great time there.

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I spent a year working under Angelica Jones.

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Uh, she right now, she's currently the Deputy Director at Broward County Transit

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and they have a lot going up there too.

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I know Coree is the CEO of it.

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Yeah, Coree she's a sweetheart.

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Yeah, she's great, she's great.

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They have a great team, an excellent team up there, and their

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transit is expanding as well.

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But I'm glad that I was able to come back and um, you know, with open arms

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and um, they uh, we have a lot going on here in South Florida as well.

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Absolutely.

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And we're going to get to that in just a minute, but I still want to

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spend a little bit of time on your career because this is a unique show.

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We're talking, we normally talk to CEOs of transit agencies.

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Here we're talking to a general superintendent of bus operations,

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who was recognized as one of America's top young leaders.

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so I, I want to share with people your career path a little bit more.

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How important would you say education is?

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Because you got a bachelor's and a master's degree.

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As you move up the ladder of success, what would you say to someone about

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the importance of higher education?

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Schneider St. Preux: Higher education definitely gets you at the door, right?

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Obviously, the experience will get you in the door.

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But, investing in yourself, making sure that you, put that, that effort in,

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investing in yourself, even getting into, different type of leadership programs

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or even, different type of training programs, certificates or what have you.

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it's definitely a benefit and it gives you that opportunity just

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to sit at the table to kind of sell yourself or market yourself.

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And it's just been a great pleasure and a benefit for me to move up

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within transportation just as of getting my master's degree.

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again, the fellow that we were at dinner with us

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last week is doing the same thing.

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He's getting his master's.

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and a lot of times when you work at a public agency, they can help pay for it.

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So that makes it even better and easier, you know?

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And, yeah.

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It's tough.

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I went to, I went to law school at night while I was working running

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transportation agencies, and I know that, you know, going to school, you

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know, even part time, I was doing full time, 10 to 12 credits a semester.

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It's challenging.

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I think it's important to stress to people that as you move up the career

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ladder, normally executive positions.

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Require advanced degrees, which would mean a master's of some type or a doctorate

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of some type, like a JD would I have.

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So it's, it's important.

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I like the word, the word you use too, is invest in yourself.

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That's really what you're doing.

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It's not easy.

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if you have a family like you did and you're working and then you're

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also going to school, sometimes you have to prioritize what's happening.

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You're like, that's what I did.

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Schneider St. Preux: definitely, you know, it's about investing in

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yourself and committing to something, especially once you set a goal.

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So if you want to set that goal, reach that goal, go out there and go get it.

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That's beautiful, man.

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Hey, I want to ask you another question about,

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career changes for people.

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So, one of the concerns I have seen over my 37 years now working in public

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transportation is that, people are often promoted from a frontline worker,

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like a driver, or maybe an A mechanic, to supervisor roles because they do a

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great job at at driving or at turning the wrench, but when they move to the

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supervisory positions, they're not given the full scope of training that

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they need, not just to like, let's say for you, okay, now, you know,

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Schneider, you're not a driver anymore.

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Now you're going to be a manager of drivers.

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So maybe they show you how to do payroll.

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Maybe they show you how to do a few things that you need to know administratively,

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but explaining to them that your job is now not your own performance.

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Your job is to get performance from others.

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Talk to us about that dynamic.

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Schneider St. Preux: Yeah.

Paul Comfort: 00:15:22

So yeah, I'm glad you asked that question, Paul.

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Because, that happens all the time, right?

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And, I'm pretty sure it happens in the private sector, too.

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we're all guilty of it.

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I mean, you, you have people at the executive leadership

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level that does the same thing.

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You have your, your, what you would call your, your thoroughbred or the person

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that produces the most, the people that understand how to do the job the best.

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We always want to take advantage of those individuals and give them

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an opportunity by making them move to the next level, which we would

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think that they would be successful.

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Sometime the learning curve is very, very hard, Paul.

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I've seen several colleagues several employees that I've had an opportunity

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to promote that couldn't actually, you know, get around that curve to

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be successful in the supervisory role from the frontline position.

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At the end of the day, the way that we kind of combat those type of challenges

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is to ensure that we invest in our people.

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Right?

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And that's one of our pillars here at DTPW that the director has continued to

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push on to us, is to invest in our people, making sure that we provide them the

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training that they need to be a part of.

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Making sure that you're following up with your folks, making sure that you show them

Paul Comfort: 00:16:34

that you care about them and providing them the opportunity, which is great.

Paul Comfort: 00:16:39

Now, not everyone, wants that opportunity, but if we do give them that opportunity,

Paul Comfort: 00:16:44

we have to make sure that, we invest in them to make sure that they're successful.

Paul Comfort: 00:16:48

I think people need to have a healthy degree of self knowledge.

Paul Comfort: 00:16:51

Don't they?

Paul Comfort: 00:16:51

About, do I really want this?

Paul Comfort: 00:16:53

Because it really is.

Paul Comfort: 00:16:54

So when you go home tonight, you can't turn your cell phone off.

Paul Comfort: 00:16:58

You can't turn your radio off.

Paul Comfort: 00:17:00

You've got to be ready.

Paul Comfort: 00:17:01

Don't you?

Paul Comfort: 00:17:01

Schneider St. Preux: Right, right, right.

Paul Comfort: 00:17:02

You definitely do.

Paul Comfort: 00:17:03

I mean, this, and specifically to bus operations, it's a 24 7 operations, right?

Paul Comfort: 00:17:08

And, you know, most of us understand that, and, like me,

Paul Comfort: 00:17:12

my wife understands it as well.

Paul Comfort: 00:17:13

So, when my phone is ringing in the middle of the night, or we have to activate the

Paul Comfort: 00:17:17

EOC, I have to be ready to go, right?

Paul Comfort: 00:17:19

It's a commitment.

Paul Comfort: 00:17:21

And my commitment was to, you know, give everything that I have to transportation.

Paul Comfort: 00:17:26

that's when I started, and I said, you know what, this is what I'm in it for.

Paul Comfort: 00:17:29

obviously with individuals that, you know, that, that we seem to think

Paul Comfort: 00:17:34

that they deserve an opportunity.

Paul Comfort: 00:17:36

Some of them don't want to take advantage of it because they

Paul Comfort: 00:17:39

don't want those responsibilities.

Paul Comfort: 00:17:41

nevertheless, I've seen successful stories as well where.

Paul Comfort: 00:17:45

Individuals that thought they couldn't do it, became superstars

Paul Comfort: 00:17:48

and they continue to climb up, right?

Paul Comfort: 00:17:51

So, again, it goes back to, you know, what do you want to do?

Paul Comfort: 00:17:54

Set your goals, invest in your people, making them feel comfortable.

Paul Comfort: 00:17:57

And, making them feel like they are part of the team as well.

Paul Comfort: 00:18:00

The last question, Schneider, you, you basically, it

Paul Comfort: 00:18:02

looks like you've had like a 12 year career in the industry and moved from

Paul Comfort: 00:18:06

driver to, superintendent of all the drivers, over a thousand drivers.

Paul Comfort: 00:18:09

Pretty awesome, dude.

Paul Comfort: 00:18:10

as someone's listening to this who maybe wants to follow a career path like

Paul Comfort: 00:18:14

yours and move up in the industry to management and senior management, what's

Paul Comfort: 00:18:18

your advice you would give to them today?

Paul Comfort: 00:18:20

Schneider St. Preux: Yeah, well, one of my advice is to believe in yourself, right?

Paul Comfort: 00:18:24

Believe in yourself and invest in yourself.

Paul Comfort: 00:18:27

Don't, don't short your change yourself.

Paul Comfort: 00:18:29

Always set your goals.

Paul Comfort: 00:18:30

Once you understand how to set your goals and try to reach them on a regular

Paul Comfort: 00:18:35

basis, you begin to invest in yourself.

Paul Comfort: 00:18:39

One of the ways that I became successful is knowing my job, right?

Paul Comfort: 00:18:43

And I think that every successful CEO, whether it's in public transportation

Paul Comfort: 00:18:48

or in any other organization, right?

Paul Comfort: 00:18:50

is that they know their business.

Paul Comfort: 00:18:52

So, knowing your craft, knowing and understanding what is your

Paul Comfort: 00:18:56

responsibility on a regular day basis will always make you successful.

Paul Comfort: 00:19:00

you don't have to be an actual subject matter expert at each and every

Paul Comfort: 00:19:05

subject, but just understanding.

Paul Comfort: 00:19:08

as you continue to move up Within the organization, you will definitely be

Paul Comfort: 00:19:12

able to get subject or surround yourself around a subject matter expert that knows

Paul Comfort: 00:19:17

the business that will help you make better decisions as you move right along.

Paul Comfort: 00:19:21

So, just believing into yourself, you know, investing in yourself

Paul Comfort: 00:19:24

and understanding your business will take you a long way.

Paul Comfort: 00:19:26

That's

Paul Comfort: 00:19:27

great.

Paul Comfort: 00:19:27

Schneider Saint Preux, thank you for being our guest today.

Paul Comfort: 00:19:30

One of America's top 40 under 40 transit leaders.

Paul Comfort: 00:19:33

the future is very bright for you, my friend.

Paul Comfort: 00:19:35

Schneider St. Preux: Appreciate it.

Paul Comfort: 00:19:36

Appreciate it, Paul.

Paul Comfort: 00:19:37

And thank you.

Paul Comfort: 00:19:37

I really appreciate you for having me on this show.

Tris Hussey: 00:19:43

Thank you to Schneider St.

Tris Hussey: 00:19:44

Prue for being a guest.

Tris Hussey: 00:19:45

Guest on the show this weekend sharing his inspiring career path.

Tris Hussey: 00:19:48

Hi, I'm Tris Hussey editor of Transit Unplugged and coming up next week is

Tris Hussey: 00:19:52

a topic that's near and dear to our hearts on the show accessibility.

Tris Hussey: 00:19:57

On the next episode, Paul chats with Ron Brooks and Kristin

Tris Hussey: 00:20:00

Joyner about their new book.

Tris Hussey: 00:20:02

All the board conducting accessible.

Tris Hussey: 00:20:06

Ron and Kristin talk about real practical things.

Tris Hussey: 00:20:10

You.

Tris Hussey: 00:20:10

I can do to improve accessibility at work.

Tris Hussey: 00:20:13

At conferences.

Tris Hussey: 00:20:14

And across your agency.

Tris Hussey: 00:20:16

Transit unplugged is brought to you by.

Tris Hussey: 00:20:17

Modaxo at Modaxo we're passionate about moving the world's people.

Tris Hussey: 00:20:21

And that transit unplugged.

Tris Hussey: 00:20:23

We're passionate about telling those stories.

Tris Hussey: 00:20:26

So until next week, ride safe and ride happy.