Campus Bus offers student driver positions

Many students have relied on campuses buses for transportation to and from classes, but only a select few have had the opportunity to drive one.

Campus Bus Services offers employment opportunities to a variety of people, and even students have the chance to be bus drivers.

All potential candidates must be at least 21 years old, not have a criminal record, have a driver’s license with no infractions and be responsible, punctual and serious about the employment, said Perry Maull, operations manager at IU Campus Bus Service. 

Senior Shannon Beatty said she has been with Campus Bus for about a year and works about 15 hours a week. 

She said her inspiration to become a campus bus driver came from the combination of advertisements on the side of a campus bus and displeasure with her employer at the time. 

But the allure of becoming a campus bus driver is rooted in more than just an ad on the side of a bus.

Senior Daniel Leathers said two of his friends described it as a great opportunity for student employment, and he has now been a bus driver for a semester. 

Though there are some standard elements involved with being a bus driver, such as learning the routes, making sure the turn radius is appropriate on corners and dealing with traffic, there are also incidents that qualify as anything but mundane, Beatty said.
She described one altercation in which a stubborn patron refused to move back and provide room for more people.  

“Students know how to handle students, and it’s a beautiful thing when you don’t have to become the enemy,” Beatty said.

Leathers said he has seen some comical incidents, too.

“There were some people one night, a large group of people, who sang happy birthday to a supposed stranger,” Leathers said. 

Beatty said one of the most interesting things that happened to her since starting at campus bus came during Little 500, when a student boarded the bus and gave her a hug as if they were longtime friends. 

“On my X route one evening, I was driving down Indiana Avenue, and people jumped out from behind trees with Super Soakers and ambushed the bus,” Leathers said.

There are some other perks to the job than simply acquiring interesting stories.
For example, Leathers said the driver’s seat is a little more comfortable than the regular passenger seats. 

Beatty said the work environment is also very enjoyable.

“There are a lot of really cool and funny people that work there,” she said.