Episode 3: Chiniqua Levine (NYC Bus Operator)

In Episode 3 of Everyday Experts, you'll meet Chiniqua Levine, a New York City bus operator who drives on Manhattan's busy streets. You'll hear how Chiniqua was trained to be a bus operator, how she de-escalates situations, and how she uses her birds-eye view perspective of the street to look ahead and see the big picture. You'll also hear how she practices her own version of mindfulness to keep her cool and stay focused on the job.

Transit workers were among the hardest hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bus operators were thrust into an unexpected front-line position during the early months of 2020 when they continued to transport essential workers in the city. In this conversation,  held in the fall of 2019, you'll get a glimpse at what things looked like in the "before-times" (pre-pandemic) and take away a couple of tips from Chiniqua that you can apply in any external, customer-facing job.

To read more about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted New York City transit workers, read this New York Times article. You can also see a virtual memorial that the MTA created in honor of 136 employees who died from the pandemic as of January 2021.