From
Point A to Point B: UT shuttle drivers keep the schedule rolling
Published on February
13, 2013 at 11:06 pm
Last update on February
14, 2013 at 8:52 am
BY MARKCARRION
They form the core of
the one of the largest university shuttle system in the country. Last year,
they ferried more than 4.6 million passengers over 13 different routes, linking
such areas as the Pickle Research Center in North Austin to Riverside in
southeast Austin with the University.
And at the heart of it
all are shuttle drivers, who operate a fleet of 87 buses and collectively work
around 225 days a year to provide shuttle service to faculty, students and
staff.
UT shuttles form a large
percentage of transportation at the University, and therefore shuttle drivers
bear a large responsibility for safely transporting students to where they need
to go each day.
“Safety comes first,
schedule comes later,” said Brenda Free, a UT shuttle driver for the Far West
route.
Free said that during the week she wakes up around 4:45 a.m. in order to
start her shift at 6:30 a.m. Each bus driver works eight-hour shifts, Free
said.
Despite working around
the University, shuttle drivers are not employees of UT or Capital Metro but
are employed by First Transit, a bus transportation provider based in
Cincinnati. First Transit contracts the drivers out to the University to provide
a total of 125,000 hours of shuttle service per year, Capital Metro spokeswoman
Melissa Ayala said.
“Capital Metro provides
the vehicles, facility, fuel, and First Transit operates and maintains the
service,” said Dottie Watkins, vice president of bus and paratransit services
for Capital Metro.
Watkins also said that
all prospective shuttle drivers must be at least 21-years-old, proficient in
English, capable of passing physical exams and drug tests and able to handle
stressful situations.
Watkins said that
background checks screen applicants for any records of felonies and
misdemeanors along with any serious traffic violations, which if incurred
within the last seven years, will usually result in the applicant’s
disqualification from selection.
“They’re really strict.
They look for everything on background,” said Cleo Caruthers, a UT shuttle
driver who was hired a couple months ago.
Caruthers said that out
of his prospective class of 20 drivers, only five made it past the background
checks. In addition, most drivers operating the Capital Metro city buses need
to have several references in order to gain a job as a UT shuttle driver.
“There is a strong bond
among the shuttle drivers around UT,” Caruthers said. “We all graduated
together and it took a long time.”
For students like Jon
Barry, a structural engineering graduate student, catching and riding UT
shuttles is a daily routine.
“We’re such a big school
it’s hard to get so many students to live so close to campus,” Barry
said.
Barry, who relies on the
Red River shuttle line to transport him to and from campus, said that the
shuttles are an important part of the University.
Free said transporting
students is what makes the job enjoyable.
“I love driving,” she
said. “I love trying to get the people on time to class.”
Marketing sophomore
Mabil Zaldivar, who rides the Cameron Road line daily, said the shuttle drivers
are important to students for another reason.
“A lot of the time
they’re our first impression in the morning,” Zaldivar said. “It sets the mood
for the rest of your day.”
Printed on Thursday,
February 14, 2013 as: Shuttle driver love
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