Congratulations to Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) employee Heidi Damian on hitting the 35-year mark as a bus operator.

“That’s a major achievement,” says Roderick Avery, SacRT transportation superintendent. “The three-decade club is an elite group to be in. We don’t have many.”

While her experience is an asset to SacRT, it’s her attitude that counts even more, he says. “She is one of the nicest people. She is always friendly and helpful. She lights up the room. And she is one of the best drivers we have.”

Heidi calls her job “a blessing.” She’s done it her entire adult life, and it has made her a better person, she says.

“I love it. I really love it,” she says. “You get to meet people. You get to talk to them; you get to encourage them. When they are having a bad day you can say something to help them have a better day.”

Heidi was just 23 years old, young and inexperienced, when she started. She was looking for a job and a sister-in-law who worked at SacRT suggested she apply to drive a bus.

“A bus?” she asked, a bit taken aback. “Give it a try,” her sister-in-law said.

The job provided a good salary; however, dealing with the public was hard at first. “I would just pray every day and ask God to give me patience and knowledge and wisdom, and he did.”

“It taught me to be a better person. Now, when someone is angry, you are seeing that person as a person who has problems, who needs someone to be patient, not to challenge them, but to try to understand them,” Heidi revealed. “Patience is so important with this job.”

As a senior employee, she preaches understanding to younger operators. If someone isn’t behaving well, don’t take it personally, she tells them. “You just treat people how you want to be treated. Over time, even the worst person becomes pleasant.”

She’s become friends with some riders. Recently, she took one of her riders out for a birthday lunch. Heidi took her friend to a medical appointment, then treated her to a taco lunch and then a stop at Costco to exchange a coat Heidi had bought for the woman.

“We’ve known each other for years,” Heidi said. “We’re good friends. She is such a good person. Such a good heart.”

Heidi says she is aiming to hit at least the 40-year mark before she retires. When she eventually retires, she wants to travel around the United States and Mexico. 

Will she drive her car on those trips? No, she says, she’s planning on taking the train and buses. We can just picture her, chatting with fellow travelers, making it an enjoyable ride.