Who's Responsible Is Not Always Clear

But problems have accumulated in the past two years: Fare increases, service problems and management missteps have angered the public. Board members privately questioned White's abilities and management style but decided not to replace him.

Metro board Chairman T. Dana Kauffman praised White's knowledge of the industry and said that if he has one shortcoming, it's that he is aloof. "Dick needs to be out there more," he said.

White always has relied on a handful of senior advisers to tell him what is going on. He rarely attends retirement parties or other casual gatherings where he could mix with front-line employees. On the Metro, he prefers to read rather than talk to passengers. When a bus driver recently appeared outside his office to seek help resolving a payroll problem, White's staff called the police.

White said he shields himself out of nature and necessity. "I'm an introvert," he said. "And I can't listen to 10,000 people. . . . This is a massive organization."

He noted that he has spent much of his energy trying to solve Metro's long-term funding problems and navigating the maze of local, state and federal governments that help pay for the agency. Until recently, he had left daily operations to his deputy, James T. Gallagher, who followed White from BART in San Francisco. Nearly all of Metro's recent problems have fallen under the umbrella of daily operations.

The troubles are compounded by an organizational mind-set of "not wanting to bring bad news forward," which can make it difficult to get straight answers, White said.

"It's like a Socratic question-and-answer session sometimes," he said. "If you don't ask the right question, you don't get the right answer, and sometimes you don't get the right answer if you don't ask three different people."

The turbulence of the past two years also has prodded White to consider his weaknesses as a manager and ways to improve. "I've done a lot of looking in the mirror," he said.