Supervisor Spotlight: Highlighting those behind the scenes who keep us moving

It takes a lot of people to keep a transit system running smoothly across 150 routes and over 300,000 boardings a day.

Bus drivers are the most visible part of any transit system, but there are people behind the scenes who are just as vital in the day-to-day operation of King County Metro.

Their responsibilities include training operators, planning the routes that run throughout the region, and literally being the “traffic controllers” who keep track of the buses on their daily runs.

They’re also the former bus drivers who use their knowledge to guide current drivers. Some were interested in transit from a young age and who put their backgrounds from other fields into good use.

And sometimes, they’re invisible co-pilots that help you get where you need to go when you ride with Metro.

We’d like to introduce you to the staff that help keep the wheels on the bus going “round and round” every day.

Interested in becoming a part of Metro? Visit “Start your Metro career” to explore well-paying positions with full benefits and a pension in transit operations, trades, rail operations, customer information and countless other fields.

Kamal Shifow, Service Supervisor
Monitor service operations, respond to operators’ calls for assistance, and respond to service disruptions.

In school, Kamal initially pursued studies in biotech until he realized that he didn’t like the smell of laboratories.

Instead, he worked as a taxi driver before joining Metro in 2004.

Kamal found bus driving challenging, especially trolleys. He especially liked the old Route 164 because of pleasant passengers and decent breaks.

One of Kamal’s chiefs at Ryerson Base encouraged him to become a supervisor, so Kamal started as a Supervisor in Training (SIT) in 2018. After a couple of years in his new role as a First-Line Supervisor, Kamal volunteered to train as a coordinator at Metro’s Transit Control Center (TCC).  His work in that position encouraged the TCC to have Kamal conduct a study on communication challenges between Control Center coordinators and drivers. His methodology included interviewing and gathering feedback from operators and presenting the findings to upper management. The study resulted in tangible improvements to the role and sparked greater interest in the coordinator role.

Kamal gravitated to his current Service Quality position because he enjoys the physicality of the role, the independence, never feeling bored, and getting to work as a first responder out of a brand-new truck. He loves being a first responder, whether he’s managing street closures or coordinating with other agency responders during emergencies.

Kamal believes that being a supervisor has improved his overall personality; meeting and welcoming people and learning to move past others’ mistakes.

Kamal and his wife have three daughters and two sons. When he’s not working, Kamal plays soccer on a team made up of Metro supervisors and operators. He and his wife travel extensively and are planning to continue to do so as he cruises into retirement over the next few years.

Ed Williams, Training
Develop, prepare, and deliver dynamic training and instructional programs for new and existing transit staff.

When Ed moved to Washington to live with family, he was looking for a fresh start. After arriving in Seattle, Ed struggled to find direction before landing a job at the Alexis Hotel in downtown Seattle. He worked in the hotel industry for nearly 12 years. Along the way, Ed met his wife and started a new life together. Ultimately, he found a career in hotels to be financially challenging and decided he needed to move on.

The idea of working for Metro first came during an ordinary commute. One day, he boarded a bus driven by a former coworker from the Alexis Hotel who couldn’t stop talking about how much he enjoyed working for Metro. Ed was intrigued but stayed working in hospitality. A couple years later, through mutual friends, he met a Metro supervisor who gave him an inside look at the job. Those conversations stayed with him and in 2007 Ed decided to apply. Metro provided Ed with opportunities and financial stability that his hospitality career could not.

Ed loved driving out of Bellevue Base. His favorite route was the 269 because it was quiet and scenic. It was the first route he picked as a part-timer and the last one he drove before becoming a Supervisor in Training (SIT).

Ed describes his journey to becoming a supervisor as an eye-opening experience that challenged him to grow emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. Having always been independent and accustomed to solving problems on his own, he learned that being an effective team member also means knowing when to ask for help. He came to appreciate that each member of the team brings unique strengths and perspectives. “Some of us are great communicators, some of us excel with computer technology, others are exceptional problem-solvers,” Ed said.

As a First Line Supervisor, Ed believes his primary responsibility is to support operators and chiefs. Whether helping someone through a difficult day, a demanding week, or an entire career, his focus is on ensuring employees have the support they need to succeed.

Although he no longer teaches coach training, Ed considers it one of the most rewarding chapters of his career. Watching a student gain confidence driving, earn a CDL, and move on to their assigned base knowing he played a role in changing that person’s life gave him tremendous satisfaction. Today, his greatest joy is welcoming and supporting new operators as they begin their careers at Bellevue Base.

Some of the best advice Ed ever received came after a particularly difficult night of driving as an operator. While he was completing Security Incident Reports (SIRs), a report operator reminded him that passengers don’t see supervisors, chiefs, or administrators, they only see the operator behind the wheel. “You can’t take anything they [passengers] say or do personally.”

Ed’s advice to his coworkers is to be mindful of one another. “Metro hired each of us because they trust our judgment. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or hesitate to seek help when you need it.”

To his fellow supervisors, he emphasizes the importance of supporting operators whenever possible. “They do the hard work. “Take care of our operators and always remember two things: respect and reputation.”

When not at work, you can find Ed enjoying America’s pastime, baseball. An avid collector of autographed baseball cards and memorabilia, he is currently building an online database of his collection, complete with player profiles and item listings. During baseball season, he and his wife attend 25 to 30 games each year. Once the season ends, they trade ballparks for boarding passes, making time for vacations every offseason.

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