SAN ANTONIO, TX – A San Antonio-area bus driver is retiring with a perfect record.
Raul Chapa has recorded more than 3 million miles and 41 years of service with San Antonio’s VIA Metropolitan Transit, KSAT reported.
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From transporting nuns to a special mass by Pope John Paul II to transporting Hurricane Katrina evacuees, Chapa has been through the best and the worst, meeting people from all walks of life, KSAT reported.
His wife, who also works for VIA, also planned to retire alongside him. According to KSAT, they were not planning to retire for another year, but the COVID-19 pandemic hit and changed plans after a close friend of Chapa died of the virus.
“A couple of days after his passing, I woke up one night and said ‘life’s too short,’” Chapa told KSAT. “I faced my wife and said ‘I’m going to retire.’”
Sept. 1 was their last day of work, but Chapa left with a special award. The National Safety Council awarded him the “Three Million Mile” Award, for his perfect driving record, with no incidents or accidents during his transportation career, KSAT reported.
“Because God was my copilot, it was simple and the next thing, I worked for a company that is outstanding,” Chapa told KSAT. “It became a super interesting career to the point I loved what I was doing until the day I retired.”