Richard A. White, the chief executive of a transit system that has suffered through a year of troubles, says he's now on board -- the Orange Line, that is.

For the past four years, the man in charge of one of the nation's largest mass transit systems drove to work because it was more convenient for his schedule. But last month, he decided that if he is going to fix the problems his agency faces, he needs to reconnect with his employees and the working stiffs who ride the transit lines he runs.