The Crimson Ride transportation system is a great resource for students, both those who live on campus and those who commute. The addition of the new Crimson Express route has become absolutely vital for me, since I commute to campus and park near the baseball field, which is basically in the middle of nowhere. The bus drivers even wait for students that seem to be running a little late in the mornings, sprinting to the bus stop from their cars – another thing of which I am guilty.

And while I do appreciate the bus drivers and their attribution to the University, as always, there is room for improvement. Recently, I boarded the bus just in time to make it to class 10 minutes early, or so I thought. My early planning would have been successful if the bus driver did not decide to stop for almost 10 minutes to converse with a fellow driver through his window. This was not just a friendly chat or a brief hello; they had a full conversation, while he had almost an entire bus full of people. I thought this was an isolated incident until I learned that my roommate experienced a similar situation while taking the shuttle back to our apartment. The bus driver decided he needed almost 30 minutes to smoke a cigarette and spark various conversations.

I am aware that all employees need a break; I would need one too if I was driving all day, especially if it was the same route every day. I am not against them having a break, I just ask that drivers would be considerate of the fact that most of their passengers are students that have class and need to get to those classes on time. Their job is to provide timely transportation. I will admit that it is partially the students’ responsibility to board the bus at a decent time to arrive to class promptly, but with students taking more than 15 hours, like myself, our time between classes is little, making time very precious.

It is known at the bus hub that a student can expect to wait 20 minutes or a little more, because it is the place where the bus drivers transition, but not in the middle of their routes. When I first arrived on campus, figuring out the bus system took me awhile, but when I finally learned all the routes and carefully mapped out which one to take, I did not calculate bus driver conversation time. I should not have to. I appreciate the bus drivers of this campus and all that they do for students and faculty. All I am asking is for equal consideration for fellow students and myself.