Thirty years is a long time to stick with anything, but five employees of the Santa Monica Municipal Bus Line happily celebrated 30 years with the City operation on Friday afternoon at a cake and ice cream event at the bus company headquarters.
Director of Transit Services Stephanie Negriff presided at the hometown ceremony to honor Marva Cobb, who started as a driver in 1977, when it was a real oddity to see a woman bus driver in Santa Monica; Bob Ayer, who set up the training for Sandra Bullock to learn to drive a city bus for her role in Speed; Ed Anderson, a maintenance supervisor who has gone from mechanical to electronics; Tim Giroux, a second generation Blue Bus employee; and Ken Johnson, a 39-year veteran known as Operator No. 1 in the Blue Bus system.
City Councilmember Kevin McKeown, arriving on his bicycle, commented that it was a tribute to the bus system that so many employees had been there so long and so happily, and that this was a tribute to the “values and behavior” that the bus system promotes.
“These individuals represent the best of the best,” said Negriff. “They are deeply respected by their co-workers for their dedication to their jobs, and for their leadership abilities. In this day and age of job-hopping, I find it admirable that these unique people elected to make the Big Blue Bus their family for so many years. By their actions, they have demonstrated that this is more than just a job to them. We are very lucky to call them both colleagues and friends.”
