OAKLAND — John Nusbaum, 75, pulled into the last stop of his career at 14th Street and Broadway.

For 45 years, he had driven a 60-foot AC Transit bus. For at least 40 years, he had never been in an accident.

"To our knowledge, he has been accident-free for 45 years," AC Transit spokesman Clarence Johnson said. "But we only have records going back 40."

Nusbaum was greeted at the stop at 12:21 p.m. June 30 by a crowd of AC Transit personnel, including interim general manager Mary King. A second celebration occurred at AC Transit Division 2 in Emeryville, where Nusbaum was based.

"He's a very quiet guy, very shy. He was likely very embarrassed," Johnson said. "But you could tell he was very happy about his retirement."

"I bought me a 37-foot motorhome on a bus chassis, so I'm going to drive that around," Nusbaum laughingly told KCBS. "Or maybe I'll go over to Muni and get a new job. That's a good idea."

He worked the early morning shift on Line 12, driving a bus from Oxford Street and Addison Street in Berkeley to 10th Street and Washington Street in Oakland.

"He's the type of guy who really cherished the job," Transportation Office Manager Ron Baity said. "I wish we had more people like him.

"Believe me, we're going to miss him."