His ultimate goal is to meld his passions together and create a program for schools that would not only teach students how to use public transit but also inform them about job opportunities in the field.

“I have to create my dream job,” he said.

The Phlash

The two buses McKnight drives vary widely in terms of ridership and route. The Philly Phlash, which runs April through September, is mainly for tourists (though some locals do hop on). It loops through Old City and Center City, stopping at sites like Independence Hall and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

“I’ve met people from across the country and around the globe,” McKnight said, of driving the Phlash. “I always ask people when they get on the bus: Where are you coming from? How long are you here for? And what do you like?”

He then dishes out advice accordingly, before seeking some of his own.

“I ask, ‘If I come to your town what is one place I have to visit and one place I have to eat and drink?’” McKnight said.

And what’s the question he gets asked most?

“Everybody always asks about the Rocky stairs…People are always asking me, ‘Are you going to run up the steps too?’” McKnight said. “Ma’am, I live in a three-floor house, my bedroom and office are on the third floor and my laundry is in the basement. When I do a load of laundry, it’s like running up the Rocky steps.”

‘He’s on point’

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