News

Mother and son work well together

April 12, 2023

Students at Heritage Baptist School had a fun surprise last week when an electric bus showed up at school. Even better, it was driven by their friend and former student, Ryley Benton. He attended the school from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Ryley and his mother, Lani Benton, both work at First Transit. He is a maintenance technician, and she is now an operations clerk after previously working as a bus driver.

The students and staff were thrilled at the chance to inspect the bus close up and take a short drive around the parking lot. Many questions were asked about the mechanics and performance of the electric buses and Ryley’s work in maintaining them.

“To be able to share what I do with people I know was rewarding,” said Ryley. “Being able to share knowledge with people is an important thing to do, whether it is about the job or experiences in life.”

It’s a unique opportunity when family members get to work together, and both mother and son are grateful for it.

“To be able to work with my son Ryley is great! We have a mutual respect, he in his position and me in mine,” said Lani. “He has grown tremendously into a dependable, reliable technician and person. He started out in utilities, when he graduated from Heritage Baptist School, he went to Washburn Tech, graduated from there, and moved up to C Tech and now B Tech. To see and listen to him talk about working on a bus or car, and to see the enthusiasm on his face when he diagnoses then fixes a vehicle is always rewarding! They say if you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life! This is Ryley!”