‘I just thrive on it’: At 74, Danny Smith finds fulfillment with The Transit System

Hood County is known as a mecca for retirees, but not all who moved here spend their days on the lake or the golf course.

That kind of stuff doesn’t particularly interest Pecan Plantation resident Danny Smith, who qualified for a gold watch a while ago. He’s a worker and a people person, and retirement from the mortgage industry didn’t change that. Clients of The Transit System are reaping the benefits of his worker-bee attitude and the fact that he views his position with the company as not just a job, but a ministry.

Smith has no plans to call it quits, especially since the county’s growth and the coming expansion of U.S. Highway 377 will likely cause more people to turn to The Transit System for help in getting where they need to go.

The Glen Rose-based public transport service, largely funded by federal and state dollars, is available at low cost to people of all ages. Its drivers even drive people to DFW Airport, Love Field Airport, and to destinations around the Metroplex, with discounted rates for groups up to four that are picked up and dropped off at the same location.

Recognizing the increased importance of public transportation, the city of Granbury recently partnered with the company to pave a large parking lot at TTS’ Granbury office so that it can serve as a park-and-ride. The building at 1416 S. Morgan St. across from Brookshire’s was once used by the Texas Department of Transportation. Phase two of the parking lot project was recently completed, Smith said, resulting in a total of 180 parking spaces.

It may take time before that location truly becomes a park and ride, but it has been handy for driving people to and from the square during special events, such as commemorating Memorial Day and celebrating the Fourth of July.

With more people moving to Hood County, the community’s newest residents include seniors who enjoy using The Transit System.

“Our ridership just recently has picked up so much,” Smith said. “I’m not really supposed to be a driver, per se, but I’m helping out right now because they are slammed.”

How can he possibly retire at the young age of 74 when so many people need him?

“And do what?” Smith posed when asked about taking it easy. “Sit around and watch Gunsmoke all day? No thanks.”

Who needs Gunsmoke when dealing with traffic in one of the fastest-growing counties in the country can get pretty western. 

ROAD TO FULFILLMENT

Smith did retire once. That’s when he and his wife Patricia moved to Hood County from Bedford. It was in October 2015. They moved here because Pat loves Granbury.

But Smith soon grew bored and began thinking about taking a job to keep him busy.

One day he saw a sign that said drivers were needed for The Transit System. He didn’t know what The Transit System was but assumed it might have something to do with 18-wheelers, in which case he wasn’t interested. But when Smith noticed the sign again, he decided to call.

After hearing about how seniors and others rely on the transport service for help with errands and medical appointments, Smith accepted a job as a driver. Today, he is the transit company’s contract coordinator, working out of the Granbury office. He also oversees the company’s advertising program and partnerships and helps with administrative tasks such as fuel reports and vehicle maintenance. He has particularly enjoyed developing friendships with seniors and joking with them when he fills in as a driver.

Every morning, TTS drivers drive seniors to and from the Hood County Senior Center and back home again. Smith said that they enjoy eating lunch with friends and staying at the center longer on days when there are Bingo games.

“They get so excited,” he said about the fun they have and the prizes they win playing Bingo, adding, “The Senior Center is really a neat deal.”

Smith’s office is located near the intersection of South Morgan Street/SH 144 and U.S. Highway 377, considered to be one of the busiest intersections in the county. Because of the traffic congestion there, Smith never turns left when leaving the transit office. Instead, whether he is driving his own car or a transit system vehicle, he turns right, then takes another right by RaceTrac. He follows Meadows Drive to Paluxy Highway by Lake Granbury Medical Center.

Smith feels that traffic has definitely gotten worse since he moved to Granbury.

“Something’s got to be done with 377,” he said. “It’s like living in South Fort Worth, especially at 4 or 5 o’clock in the afternoon. We do everything we can to find all kinds of alternate routes.”

There have been times when Smith has called 911 because of traffic accidents in front of the TTS office. One week, there were three wrecks, he said.

TxDOT has plans to expand US Highway 377 from four lanes to six over a nine-mile stretch through the most congested part of town. The first phase will include reconfiguring the 144/377 intersection. Such projects take years to complete.

Meanwhile, TTS dispatch is sometimes having to send a back-up driver when a driver in Granbury is stuck in traffic.

“It can be quite stressful, especially when you’re under time constraints,” such as trying to get a rider to a medical appointment, Smith said.

When Granbury’s main artery is finally wide enough to ease traffic congestion, Smith might still be on the job.

“Hopefully, when I take my last breath, I’ll be doing what I’m doing right now,” he said. “Some of my best days are when you make things happen and you’re productive and then you go home and feel so good you’re as high as a kite.”

Although Pat isn’t working a paying job, she, too, is involved in helping the community. She helps with the Prayers and Squares quilt ministry at Lakeside Baptist Church, Smith said, and started a ministry for missionaries. She is a member of the Granbury Newcomers Club and the Opera Guild, serving as an usher during performances.

“She doesn’t have a lazy bone in her body,” Smith said.

As for his job with The Transit System, Smith said, “It’s been good for me in a lot of ways. It’s kept me busy and gives me a purpose. I just thrive on it.”