Ten or so years ago, Jonathan Barnes drove for a local taxi company. As a young man, he loved having the open road in front of him, interacting with quirky customers, and basking in the freedom that came with the job. Well, Jonathan caught the transportation bug, and now he’s working with vehicles much larger than taxis: transit buses.
One day while he was driving his taxi, he received a call from his brother. His brother had an oddly enthusiastic tone to his voice and said, “Jonathan, you should go drive the bus. You know, CAT has a program called GO Driver.” He wasn’t looking for a change, but when his quiet brother spoke, he knew he should listen. Jonathan was lucky; he submitted his application on the last day possible and was accepted into the program. With no prior experience driving buses, he learned from the ground up and found his niche. By the end of the program, his hard work was rewarded with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and a job as a Transit Operator.
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Fast forward six years and Jonathan is now an Operations Supervisor at Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT) and enjoys being a part of the team. As a competitive go-getter, he rose up through the ranks quickly. Some may look at the word “competitive” in a negative light, but by his playbook, it simply means that he strives to become the best version of himself every day. People with this kind of work ethic tend to have big hearts, and Jonathan is no exception. For example, there was a time when one of CAT’s drivers could not safely operate her vehicle. She had lost a contact lens and was panicking about what to do next. Jonathan came to the rescue. Dropping everything on his plate, he rushed to the eye doctor, picked up her prescription, delivered it to her, and was back in time to respond to dispatch calls. Because of his actions, the driver was able to safely continue her route and save our riders from a huge inconvenience.
Once a transit rider himself, he knows that others now rely on him and his team to keep the routes running smoothly. It’s more than just a job for him: it’s a duty, an obligation, an admirable service. Born and raised in Charlottesville, he holds a deep affinity for this city and the people who live here. That is why he would give you the shirt off his back and do everything in his power to make someone’s day brighter. His philosophy is this: you never know what people are going through in life, so show others love and empathy and never be too quick to judge. So, if you happen to cross paths with Jonathan, be sure to thank him for his dedication to CAT and this community.