A number of bus drivers have expressed frustration about a perceived dearth of sick leave and a lack of communication between the operators and the managers in Parking and Transportation Services.
As bus doors open at the end of a run, students tumble onto the stop amid a chorus of “thank you’s” directed at the bus driver—but several bus drivers said this is the only gratuity they are receiving.
A number of bus drivers have expressed frustration about a perceived dearth of sick leave and a lack of communication between the operators and the managers in Parking and Transportation Services.
“If you come to these people and you’ve got problems, they kind of push them under the rug,” bus driver Emma Garrett said. “The morale is just bad.”
Other drivers had similar complaints, highlighting the management’s failure to address issues about ill employees. Drivers said they are still required to come to work even when they are sick.
“We can’t do our job if we’re out here sick, if we can’t get the day off,” Garrett said. “I think my life is more important than my job.”
Cathy Reeve, director of Parking and Transportation Services, said that the bus drivers’ claims are unsubstantiated. Before being hired, bus drivers sign an agreement that outlines the procedures and protocols of the job. Among other things, the agreement lays out rules regarding sick leave.
“Obviously if someone is sick, we don’t want them coming to work,” Reeve said. “We don’t want them endangering their health or the health of other people on the bus.”
Judith White, assistant vice president for campus services, said if an employee calls in sick, drivers are pulled from a backup list, and as a last resort, supervisors can drive the buses. “I don’t know of any circumstances in which a driver has had to come to work sick,” she said.
White also said she doesn’t know where the bus drivers’ allegations of poor communication are coming from.
The drivers raised issues about student behavior and event transportation as well. Several drivers agreed that students “forget” how to act on the buses by the middle of the semester and end up doing foolish and dangerous things, such as standing in the yellow zones of the bus.
They also alleged that Parking and Transportation Services was trying to cut back the number of full-time employees. Reeve denied such actions.
Drivers also noted that transportation for special events was inadequate and poorly planned. “Transportation Services needs to allocate more service for an event like a football game, political rally or Parents’ Weekend,” bus driver Eric Newquist said.
The management said it provides the bus operators with opportunities to register grievances if they feel that certain issues are being handled incorrectly. The resolution of the complaint is a multi-step process beginning at the supervisor level and involving a talk between transportation officials and drivers.
“It’s good in a way because it gives you an opportunity to actually sit down and communicate,” Reeve said.
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