Miami‑Dade DTPW graduates 60 bus operators and 17 supervisors; Metro Express service to start Monday

Miami‑Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works celebrated the graduation of bus class 4 of 2025, with 60 newly certified bus operators and 17 transit supervisors completing a 10‑week training program. DTPW Director Stacy Miller told graduates the county’s new Metro Express service will begin Monday (date not specified).

The graduates received certificates during a public ceremony that included remarks from instructors, union and community leaders, and DTPW management. Instructor Maria Bautista said the training was intensive: “For the past 10 weeks, trainees have gone through a hard and vigorous amount of training designed to qualify these individuals to become professional bus operators.”

The ceremony underscored the agency’s emphasis on customer service and safety. “You are the face of the County,” Director Stacy Miller said, adding that operators interact with residents more than almost any other public employee. Miller told graduates she has worked in transportation for nearly 35 years and asked them to view the role as a career rather than a job.

Deputy Director Sean Adgerton told the class that safety, trust and respect should guide their daily work. “Everybody who gets on a bus, where all the limbs and senses that they came on with, they want to get off with it,” Adgerton said, urging operators to follow rules, procedures and to hold management accountable for training and equipment.

Union leader Joe Delia, president of the Transport Workers Union (TWU), encouraged graduates to see the position as a long‑term career. “This is not a job. This is a career,” Delia said. Veteran operator Milton Clark Jr. told the class to smile and take pride in their work.

An instructors’ reading of a congratulatory letter from Mayor Daniela Levine Cava emphasized public service. The letter, read by instructor Elijah Salim, offered the mayor’s support and congratulated graduates on joining Miami‑Dade County’s workforce.

The ceremony included family acknowledgements and several personal remarks from trainees. Instructor Juan Flores led the group in the operator pledge, which opened with: “I understand that I am a public servant for Miami‑Dade County,” and included commitments to safe driving and customer service.

Stacy Miller also announced a near‑term service launch: Metro Express, a new service the department rolled out this week and that “starts Monday,” she said; the transcript did not specify a calendar date for that Monday. DTPW did not provide operational or route details during the ceremony.

The event concluded with a presentation of certificates by section chief Omar Yoda and photographs of graduates, instructors and administration. Training staff and lead instructors were singled out repeatedly for their role in preparing the class.

Details about schedules, assignments and the exact start date for operators were not specified at the ceremony. Family members and department staff were present for the photos and closing remarks.