A second chance: Bus operator Frank Rodriguez’s road from hardship to healing

Metro bus operator Frank Rodriguez has spent the past 15 months serving riders across Los Angeles, working shifts that begin before rush hour and end just after midnight. Today, he operates Line 212 along La Brea Avenue out of Division 5 in South Los Angeles, connecting communities from Hollywood to Mid-Wilshire and Inglewood, where he meets a wide range of passengers stepping onto his bus—each carrying their own story.

He greets them with a simple nod or a smile, focused on offering safe travel and good customer service. Some rides are quiet. Others lead to a quick conversation. Some passengers need directions, Others just a moment of understanding. Most are regulars heading to work or school, while others may be going through a difficult moment, like losing a job.

When possible, Frank offers words of comfort. He understands the impact they can have—how they can shift someone’s day and demeanor. “I know about struggles and I can relate to them,” he says. For him, the job is more than a route—it’s stability, purpose and a life he once didn’t think was possible.

Frank knows about tough times. He overcame many of them before Metro hired him. His story demonstrates how Metro’s First Chance Initiative creates equitable opportunities during the hiring process, aligned with California’s Fair Chance Act, and provides applicants with the opportunity to be considered based on their skills, experience and growth—rather than being automatically disqualified because of their past. For Frank, that opportunity made a difference.

His path here wasn’t easy. Frank lost his mother to a heroin overdose when he was just one year old. His father was absent, and he and his three siblings were raised by a family member in Highland Park, in an environment he remembers as marked by instability, anger and physical abuse.

At 14, he spoke out about what he was experiencing, hoping for protection. Instead, his claims were denied. “I was hurt. That destroyed me,” he says. He ran away from home soon after.

What followed were years of survival — falling into the wrong crowd, struggling with substance use and eventually falling into the juvenile justice system at 16. A few months later — without a family to return to — he was sent to a boys group home for two years.

At 19, he moved to Missouri to be with relatives, hoping for a fresh start. But the cycle continued. He later returned to Los Angeles and decided to stay away from the people who had once pulled him back. That improved but the addiction continued. By his late 20s, drugs had taken everything — his job, his connection with his son, his family, his apartment and, ultimately the car in which he lived.

At 30, he hit rock bottom. He woke up one day sleeping behind a dumpster in Moreno Valley.

“I was depressed, hopeless, lonely and afraid. I wanted to die,” he says. Two months later, someone approached him with a flyer that read: Jesus loves you. Change is possible.

That moment led him to a Christian recovery home, where he began rebuilding his life. He had a place to sleep, three meals a day and the structure he needed to start over. “I learned how to forgive myself and people from my past, how to love, how to walk with integrity and honesty,” he says. “It was hard work.”

He completed the program after a year but chose to stay for two more to continue working on himself. Over time, he was given the opportunity to lead. For five years, he served as a counselor and later as director of the recovery home, supporting others facing addiction, depression and life challenges. “That’s where I learned responsibility, commitment and work ethic,” he says.

During that time, he regained visitation with his son. What had once been broken slowly started to come back together. Today, his son is 14 and they see each other weekly. As he continued rebuilding his life, Frank found love. He got married, and together with his wife and her three kids, they’re raising a family, including a baby girl they adopted four years ago.

As he rebuilt his life, Frank was also searching for job stability that would allow him to provide for his family. Before Metro, he worked as a counselor while also taking on transportation jobs delivering food to schools. But that wasn’t enough. He considered driving trucks, but the better-paying routes required long periods away from home — something he wasn’t willing to sacrifice.

Until he found Metro and saw it as a second chance. “It was great when the agency gave me an opportunity,” he says. “I made mistakes in the past, but that doesn’t define who I am today.”

When he first started as a bus operator, he was nervous. Operating a 40-foot or 60-foot bus felt intimidating and memorizing routes was a challenge. “I was thinking, what if everything goes wrong?” he says. With time, it became easier.

Today, he moves through the city with confidence, relying on his sense of direction and the training Metro provides. He believes many people don’t realize that being a bus operator can become a career. “It’s a big responsibility because you carry kids, adults and elders—but it’s a great job.”

Frank also says that putting on his Metro uniform each day brings him a sense of pride. “I feel like I have a purpose,” he expresses. “That you belong to something big.”

Earlier this year, Frank was recognized as Metro’s Employee of the Month and shared his story in front of a Metro Board committee —an experience that reinforced how far he has come. “That meant a lot to me because rehabilitation is possible,” he says.

For people with a hard past who would like to apply he says: “Don’t be discouraged. Your past doesn’t dictate your future.” For him, that belief changed everything because the words you carry —about who you are and what’s possible— can shape the path ahead. At Metro, Frank found a second chance. And with it, the opportunity to keep moving forward.