Lorene Love began at Metro Transit on Oct. 11, 1976, becoming one of the first black female operators to work at the Martin J. Ruter Garage, then known as Shingle Creek. Except for a brief stint at Nicollet Garage, Lorene spent her entire career working at Ruter. Lorene drove many routes, but spent most of her time on Route 14 and Route 22. A committed professional, Lorene retired in February 2013 as a 30-year Safe Operator. “My years of safe driving meant so much to me because we were trained this was live cargo – not butter or anything else,” she said. “This was the real deal.” In retirement, Love spends time with her dogs and helps her two sons follow their pursuits.