Steven Sparks Sr. and his son, Steven Sparks Jr., share more than a name. Both work as coach operators for the Riverside Transit Agency (RTA), spending thousands of hours behind the wheel of buses that carry riders across the Inland Empire.
For Riverside residents who rely on RTA to get to work, school or appointments, the Sparks family's story is a reminder of the people behind the wheel, drivers who see the region up close, route after route, year after year.
Sparks Sr. joined the RTA in March 2019. He said in a statement that he encouraged his son to apply for a job with the agency after learning he was interested in a career change.
"When I got hired, I told my son he should apply for a job with the agency, too," Sparks Sr. said in a statement. "He was a cross-country trucker, and I told him he should get off the road so he could spend more time with his family."
Sparks Jr. took his father's advice and joined the RTA a few months later, in October 2019. The RTA employs roughly 350 drivers.
"There's a camaraderie with the other drivers that makes the RTA a great place to work," Sparks Jr. said in a statement.
Both father and son describe an easygoing approach to a job that requires patience with traffic and the public alike.
"I treat every rider the way I'd like to be treated," Sparks Sr. said in a statement. "I like to think I'm their chauffeur."
The two occasionally cross paths on their routes during the workday, exchanging a wave or a smile. Outside of work, they get together as a family for barbecues and other gatherings. Both are fathers themselves.
Looking back, Sparks Sr. said the moment carries a certain symmetry.
"I remember when I used to take my son to the bus stop for his trips to kindergarten, and he'd get on that big bus," Sparks Sr. said in a statement. "Now he's driving it, and that's really amazing."
