Meet the bus painters who keep our fleet looking sharp!

As Hispanic Heritage Month unfolds, we’re proud to recognize the valuable contributions of our Latino workforce, which makes up over 44% of our 11,400+ employees. Among many talented individuals keeping Metro moving are Freddy Malfavon and José Heredia, two dedicated bus painters. Read on to learn more about their lives and careers. 

Since he was a child, Freddy Malfavon meticulously cared for his toy cars, always keeping them shiny and dent-free. At 15, he bought and restored a 1960 blue Volkswagen Beetle, which he later sold to purchase a 1956 model.  

His love for cars led him to open his own body shop, where he perfected his skills in auto bodywork for 16 years. When the shop closed, Freddy found a new path at Metro’s Central Maintenance Shop (CMS) as a bus painter. Over the last eight years, he has brought the same passion to his work that he still has for restoring Volkswagens. 

Switching from painting tiny Volkswagens to 40-foot buses was no small feat. But Freddy embraced the challenge. “You need a lot of patience and attention to detail,” he says. Over his time at Metro, Freddy estimates he has painted nearly 700 buses.  

Every day, more than 1,800 buses keep Los Angeles County moving. Minor bus repairs are typically handled at Metro’s local bus yards (called divisions). However, for major damage or significant wear, the buses are sent to CMS, where a specialized team handles body shop and painting. This also happens when a bus reaches three years of service, at which point it’s brought in for a full repaint to ensure it looks its best before returning to service. With a fleet that travels nearly 70 million miles annually, regular maintenance like this is essential.  

Freddy explains that the process starts with applying a primer coat on the first day. On the second day, a team of three sands and tapes off the bus, carefully covering everything —from windows, wheels, rims, engine parts and even tiny screw holes—to prevent overspray. By the third day, two people work in sync to paint the bus. Once it dries, they apply decals which include the Metro logo, bus number and other identifiers. A single bus can have over 35 decals!  

“My favorite part is seeing the final result,” says Freddy. “It makes me happy when I see the bus leaving CMS, ready to return to service.”  

Freddy’s colleague, Jose Heredia, has been painting buses at Metro for five years. He says that while painting a car is usually a solo job, a bus requires teamwork and communication. “Two people start painting at opposite ends of the bus at the same time. It’s like a synchronized dance—we move at the same pace and finish spraying simultaneously,” Jose explains.  

Beyond the exterior, his team also restores bus interiors damaged by graffiti. Currently, they’re working at full speed to paint metal parts needed for installing protective barriers for bus operators, which goal is set to be completed across the entire fleet by the end of 2024. 

Jose started his career washing cars, then worked in an auto body shop, and later learned to paint garbage trucks. “I wanted to learn how to paint properly, so I went to school,” he says. After completing his studies in auto painting and becoming certified as a vehicle damage estimator, he worked at a dealership where he restored wrecked cars to like-new condition.  

“When I saw that Metro was hiring bus painters online, I applied right away,” Jose recalls. “I used to ride the bus to school, but I never imagined I’d be working here.” Now, Jose says he’s living his dream job. 

A husband and father, Jose appreciates the stability his job provides. He feels a sense of pride every time he sees a freshly painted bus on the streets. “Sometimes I wonder, ‘Did I paint that one?’” he says with a smile.  

Born in Mexico, Jose is proud to be part of the second-busiest transit agency in the country. “I wear my uniform with a lot of pride,” he says. During Hispanic Heritage Month, Jose celebrates his culture through food, with his favorite dish being ‘morisqueta’, a traditional dish from his home state of Michoacán.  

For Freddy, who was born in Los Angeles to Mexican parents, maintaining his language is a key part of preserving his heritage, “In my home, it’s important to keep speaking Spanish.”