Two men with a combined 40 years of experience in the transit field after working for transit agencies on the east and west coasts have joined Ben Franklin Transit’s executive team. 

Michael Brown recently was named director of transit operations and Marcus McCready is director of safety and training.  

Brown has more than 25 years of experience, ranging from school bus and fixed route transit operations to shuttle services in both the public and private sectors. He started his career as a bus operator and worked his way into leadership with agencies in California, Arizona and Georgia before coming to the Tri-Cities.  

McCready hails from Baltimore and started driving commercial vehicles during college. He has worked for transit agencies in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and California. He most recently worked as the director of safety and training for the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System

Marcus McCready

“Hiring Michael and Marcus are major wins for Ben Franklin Transit,” said BFT CEO Thomas Drozt in a statement. “They are transit professionals of the highest caliber. They bring significant experience with them and I look forward to working with them and can’t wait to see their positive impact on BFT.” 

Since 1982, Ben Franklin Transit has grown from 45 to more than 400 vehicles, including buses, Dial-A-Ride, Rideshare (formerly Vanpool), and CONNECT. The agency now services almost 1,000 bus stops and has grown from fewer than 60 employees to over 400.