Metro Transit bus driver paying it forward after he says job offer saved his life while homeless
MINNEAPOLIS — Teron Hess is living his best life. He believes he was called to drive for Metro Transit.
"It's the people, honestly. The customers, the community I serve, that's the best part," he said
Hess strives to be the best resource he can be for the community he serves.
"If I see someone who is struggling with something, whether they are homeless or have issues with addiction, I try to steer them as best I can to the resources that are available," he said.
Hess knows first-hand how important it is to help others because it wasn't that long ago that feelings of isolation and despair overcame him.
"I was homeless, I was on the streets," Hess said. "You have to struggle to find, where do I go to the bathroom during the day? Where am I going to sleep tonight? I haven't taken a shower in a few days. I know I stink. I don't want to be around people."
Hess was living a nightmare and decided he had enough.
"I had already gone through an interview I hadn't heard back from Metro Transit. Life was just — things were piling up and honestly, I had a plan to take my own life," he said.
Hess got on the light rail — that's when fate intervened.
"I got a phone call from Janice in HR letting me know I got the job pending my background check and my whole life changed," he said. "Immediately my outlook changed. I cried. It just seemed like finally I was catching a break."
Fate was not done with him yet.
"The train shows up, I get on the train and I have to use the bathroom and I left my cell phone in the train. I didn't realize it until after I came out the bathroom and I saw the train pull away," Hess said.
He hit the emergency button to alert Metro Transit of what happened.
"One of our officers — the doors opened up she looked down, my phone was there, and brought it back to me at the Mall of America. So it was at that point I knew this was the company I need to be at."
Almost a year later, he is a bus driver for Metro Transit.
Hess pays it forward by showing compassion for the most vulnerable in our community.
"We are really the first line, whether that be someone who is struggling with addiction and they are in the middle of an overdose at a bus stop, we are the people who call for help," he said.
Hess says every day someone from Metro Transit saves a life. He says he knows because it saved his.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.
In addition, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text "HelpLine" to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.