Changing Lanes: Graduate Goes From Bus Driver to City Planner
Lucas LeVieux’s passion for public transportation dates to his teenage years.
Growing up in suburban Encinitas in northern San Diego County, riding the bus wasn’t common—but LeVieux was drawn to it.
“There was a bus route that went straight from my house to my high school,” he said. “I don’t know how I discovered it, but I liked the freedom of it.”
At the time, he didn’t realize that small discovery would shape his future—leading to a stint as a bus driver and eventually a career focused on transportation and infrastructure. Now working as a planner at a firm, LeVieux will graduate May 17 with a degree in urban and regional planning.
Charting his Course
Before finding his path, LeVieux attended San Diego State from 2016 to 2019, studying electrical engineering. With a father in the field, it felt like a natural fit.
But he soon realized it wasn’t his passion and decided to leave school. While searching for direction, he applied to become a bus driver in his hometown.
“I drove some of the same routes I used to take to school,” he said. “It connected me to my community and showed me how much public transit and infrastructure benefit local communities.”
On his bus, LeVieux encountered immigrants heading home after long days at the factory, people with disabilities running errands and college students relying on transit to get to class on time.
His riders left an impression. LeVieux, who had also previously worked as a truck driver, decided to return to school to pursue a degree in urban and regional planning.
A Sense of Place
In 2023, he moved to La Verne to attend Cal Poly Pomona and got married to his wife, Abby.
“I wasn’t sure how I would adjust to school since I had been away for a while,” LeVieux said. “I was surprised by how welcoming the CPP community—especially the urban and regional planning department—was. I was nerding out about public transportation, and people in the department matched that enthusiasm. I felt like these are my people.”
He chose CPP for the uniqueness of its Department of Urban and Regional Planning.
“What’s unique about CPP is that it offers a career-oriented program where you learn practical urban planning skills, get encouraged to secure an internship and are prepared to enter the workforce,” LeVieux said.
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PP is also one of only two programs in California that offer an accredited bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning; most accredited programs are at the graduate level, he added.
LeVieux said his professors have been key in helping him make the most of the program.
“They are so enthusiastic about helping me in my career,” he said. “I feel like I could ask any of them for a letter of recommendation. They are very open to helping students. I have had multiple conversations with professors about my career because they make themselves available.”
Professor Do Kim, chair of the urban and regional planning department, had LeVieux in his Sustainable Transportation Planning and Senior Project Preparation classes. He said LeVieux is very hardworking and active in class discussions and group projects in part due to the passion he developed working in his field.
“It’s not common to see transfer students discover what they really want to do for their career not from high school, but from extra experiences in life,” Kim said. “Those students are much more mature and motivated. That’s why they show a very strong commitment to their studies and degree. Lucas is that kind of student.”
As chair, Kim often works with the student club LeVieux is president of, the American Planning Students Association. LeVieux is a very invested leader who takes ownership of the tasks he oversees rather than just delegating to the other club officers and members, Kim said.
“He has a perfect balance in leadership,” Kim said. “Whenever I have topics to discuss, he can quickly pick up on what I am talking about, and he knows all the details. He is very knowledgeable.”
Become by Leading
LeVieux’s dedication and leadership have earned the President’s Scholar recipient several accolades. LeVieux, who serves on the Cal Poly Pomona Alternative Transportation Committee, received the 50th Anniversary URP Scholarship in 2024, as well as the URP Merit Award in 2024 and 2025. He also recently received the 2026 APA Outstanding Student Award.
Whether it’s working on his senior project — a comparison of LA Metro park and ride lots based on usage and urban design — or his group capstone project designing a theoretical public outreach event for the Metropolitan Water District, LeVieux said he strives to improve on essential skills he has acquired at CPP.
“I try to look for opportunities to work on those skills, presenting, networking, managing people,” he said. “I use my presentation skills in my work and for my final presentations in class. These are the types of soft skills you get at Cal Poly Pomona, especially if you join a student organization.”
Planning for the Future
LeVieux has parlayed his skills into a full-time job. He interned last summer at the Los Angeles office of the Portland-based Alta Planning and Design. That internship turned into a part-time position and now he has been hired full-time starting this summer.
“What landed me the position was the projects I have done at CPP,” he said. “My work is very projects based. I have had so many group activities in class that I had something to put in my portfolio and projects to put on my resume.”
LeVieux said he loves Alta’s focus on sustainable transportation. His work is focused on helping to develop a walking and biking plan for the city of Claremont.
Besides balancing work, married life and co-curricular activities, LeVieux said he is working hard to finish strong. He said he will miss CPP, specifically the friends he made in the department, but looks forward to what comes next.
“I have found it very rewarding to work hard at my studies. I know it is going to pay off after I graduate,” he said. “I am happy to have a job lined up. CPP has given me the opportunity to network and line that job up. Because I have all of these practical skills, the future feels less stressful.”