Featured Operator: MAC VEALS
“Rain. Shine. I'm always happy to go to work.”

Click on photo for bigger image.

“Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community.”--Anthony J. D’Angelo

A community is not only where we live, but also where we work or any other environment we visit regularly. For riders on Jefferson Transit, the familiarity and interrelationships formed over many years of riding together has forged a community on each of the routes.  With an infectious smile, warm greeting, and an overall display of affection and concern for his riders, Mac Veals, a 28-year veteran operator on the Eastbank, clearly demonstrates that he is that community’s leader. 

“Rain. Shine. I’m always happy to go to work” says Veals.  Throughout the years, Veals has driven all of the Eastbank routes but favors the Kenner Local route.  He is “more familiar with the people” who board along Jefferson Highway and there are “many riders he looks forward to seeing every day.” 

Veals originally became a bus driver because he thought that interacting with people on a daily basis would be fun.  Although he still enjoys himself, Veals is retiring on December 31st of this year.  He looks forward to spending time with his wife of 42 years, their four children, and five grandchildren.  Gardening, spending time four-wheeling and fishing at his family’s land in Mississippi, and travel are also part of his retirement plan. If that doesn’t fill up his time, he jokingly says that his wife will keep him busy. 

Although retirement is a time for new opportunities, it can also be a time of reflection.    This is certainly true of Veals who, despite his excitement, expresses genuine feelings about leaving his position.  “I’ll miss getting up early, going to work, and seeing my coworkers.”  Veals’ coworkers share these sentiments as evidenced by Jefferson Transit General Manager, Derrick Breun, “Mac is a good man – as good as they come and I will miss him.”  For Veals, it is perhaps most important that he get his message to his riders,  “I want my riders to know that I’ll really miss them and that I always looked forward to picking them up - it made my day.”

Read about some of our other wonderful JeT bus operators.