Student Drivenby Brittany Averette

Every few blocks around U.Va., students cluster along the roadside, heads turned in one direction, as they peer down the street and await the familiar headlights and hiss of a University Transit System bus.

More often than not, they will be greeted by a fellow student behind the wheel. Students form the backbone of UTS, serving as the large majority of the fully licensed drivers, as well as trainers, coordinators and operations supervisors.

"It’s not so common anymore" to find a predominantly student-run, fully university-owned bus service, says Rebecca White (Col ’84), director of Parking & Transportation Services, who began her career as a student driver in 1982. But the system works great. Having the students drive the buses provides "such a great link to what is UTS’s largest customer base," White continues.

It’s tough, balancing bus driving and a full classload. Student drivers must carefully plan their schedules, and often have to dash from a lecture to meet a bus at the appropriate driver-switch stop. And they can’t be late. "If you don’t step up, service can be shut down. There’s a lot of pressure," says Pete DeAnna (Educ ’08), who has been driving for more than a year. Is it worth it? Absolutely. "It’s the coolest job," he says.

While every bus driver raves about the fun involved in their job, they are also gaining valuable career skills. "It’s responsibility," says David Kloss, assistant director for transit operations. "I say to this young man or woman, ‘I’ll give you a $260,000 bus that weighs 13 tons and is 35 feet long, then fill it with 30 to 60 of your friends and colleagues.’ They understand the responsibility involved in their position."

But to these students, driving buses goes beyond being only a job. Drivers and administrators are not just work colleagues, they’re friends. Drivers never fail to wave to one another as they pass en route, and often socialize outside of work hours. "It’s for students who need a niche. It’s more of a social gathering for like-minded people," says Kendall Howell (Col ’99), former student driver and current administrative supervisor.

Many students, like Howell and White, find such a home at UTS that they return after graduation. Juwhann Lee (Col ’01) began driving in his third year. He took advantage of the opportunities to excel in the organization and now serves as UTS’s operations supervisor. "There’s a lot of partying, which always helps," Lee says. "It’s never dull."

It’s not only employees who become part of the UTS family; the passengers they drive become familiar as well. "You see the same people every day, and you get to know each other," says John DiPuma, who has been driving for UTS for about a year and a half. Several regulars are well known to all drivers, and are given nicknames. "We all like ‘Darden Lady.’ She brings us food," says Lee.

Though these students are friends, they run a tight ship. Training is rigorous, and student drivers form the UTS Safety Committee, which rates safety infractions and accidents on a level of preventability. A demerit system ensures quality bus driving. "They’re very thorough and very strict," says Kloss. The University Safety Committee has never disagreed with the student committee’s decision.

The organization began in 1972 to alleviate parking pressure on Grounds. It’s "by students for students," Kloss says. In 1972, 15 student drivers piloted four rented buses, driving one route and requiring a bus pass that students had to purchase. Today’s UTS owns a fleet of 29 transit buses and services 21 fixed routes, financed largely though the mandatory student activities fee. Almost 100 student drivers work for UTS. Their success is measurable: UTS drove nearly 3 million passengers last year. Buses are critical to students as they increasingly seek housing far from Grounds.

The UTS formula—part dedication, part camaraderie—makes for one of the most successful student-run transit services in the country. "Ten-minute service—you can’t find that anywhere," Kloss says. Though recruitment efforts have accelerated this year, their most successful recruitment method is word of mouth. The upcoming driver training class is the largest yet. The job is, simply, a heck of a lot of fun. "Every day is entertainment; it’s never the same," says Kloss. 

 Bus "Roadeo"

Once a year, anyone can drive a behemoth UTS bus—within the confines of a blocked-off parking lot. The annual University Transit Service Bus "Roadeo" gives anyone—licensed bus drivers and non-bus drivers alike—the chance to maneuver a giant bus around tiny cones, or just circle it around the parking lot for fun. UTS drivers participate in a competition that involves a driving test, a written test and a bus safety inspection. The driving test involves negotiating a complicated cone course and serpentine road; a simulated bus stop, complete with a life-size Will Smith cutout as a passenger; and a full-speed "panic stop" in front of a traffic cone (perhaps representing an iPod-wearing pedestrian). Competitors’ biggest impediments, however, may be their peers. Fellow bus drivers "harass and ridicule" the driver on the course, says Kendall Howell, "so not only must you be a good driver, you must be able to handle pressure." Winners move on to a statewide competition.

Last fall, UTS began using biodiesel fuel in all of its buses after a successful summer trial, becoming the first university bus service in the country to adopt the renewable fuel for its entire fleet. “We even beat Vermont,” says David Kloss, “‘Green State’ nothing!”. Biodiesel fuel produces far fewer harmful emissions. “You can ride right behind one of our buses now and not smell a thing,” says Kloss. Derived from vegetable oil, biodiesel also eliminates the carcinogenic elements of regular petroleum diesel. During the transition, fears of additional bus maintenance and decreased efficiency proved unjustified. “They burn cleaner and better than before,” Kloss says.