Campus Bus looking for student drivers

Facing a shortage of drivers, the Campus Bus Service shifted its employment strategy and is now directly recruiting students to operate the vehicles. The service is offering a salary of about $10 an hour, Campus Bus Service Operations Manager Perry Maull said. While students were allowed to drive buses in the past, he said the service has not recently tried to recruit students. \n"(Students) would tell us, 'Oh, we didn't think students could be bus drivers,'" Maull said. \nEligible student bus drivers must be at least 21 years old, have a good driving record and be able to pass a criminal background check and a drug and alcohol screening, Maull said. Potential drivers then must acquire their commercial driver's licence, for which IU will pay upon completion of the program. \nTwo students, including Ivy Tech Community College of Bloomington student Trent Fortner, currently drive buses for the service, Maull said. Fortner has driven campus buses for five years on and off and said he loves the flexibility and higher pay than most part-time jobs.\n"One thing that's nice about it is you're not stuck behind a desk or running a cash register all day," Fortner said. "You get to see a lot of different people. You don't have to deal with the same people every day."\nFortner admitted most students might be afraid to control such a large vehicle transporting so many of their peers with the responsibility of doing it safely.\nDespite being intimidated, Fortner said he learned quickly and has only been in one minor accident.\n"You think 'There's no way I can maneuver that through campus in traffic,'" he said. "I can drive the bus now as easily as I can drive my car. At first it was scary. Once you get used to it, it's a breeze."\nMany universities across the country are already primarily using students to operate their buses, Maull said.\nBecause Campus Bus operates seasonally, it has trouble gaining full-time employees, who typically want a more steady job with benefits, he said.\n"I think we do provide a competitive wage (for) students looking for part-time jobs," he said. "But I don't think we're competitive for those looking for full-time jobs with benefits."\nBus riders often gaze at Fortner with a look of surprise when they see him maneuvering a bus, he said. Most students would probably be excited if they knew they could easily get a job that pays $10 an hour, he said.\n"Usually they get a look of shock on their faces," he said. "I guess they don't really equate the two things together - that you can drive a bus and be a full-time college student."\nFor more information visit www.iubus.indiana.edu/campus_bus/index.html.