Bus drivers unhappy with campaign to hire student employees

A Campus Bus Service push to hire student drivers has prompted a petition from several drivers who have been voicing complaints for more than a month. New policies and operations, including the campaign for the hiring of \nstudent bus drivers, were put into effect by Campus Bus Service Operations Manager Perry Maull, who took over July 1.\nExecutive Director of Transportation Services Maggie Whitlow called a meeting last week after a bus driver filed a petition to human resources a few weeks ago, said part-time bus driver Dave Barber.\nThe meeting was called to address complaints concerning Maull and his changes in scheduling and procedure, as well as his treatment of the drivers, Barber said. \n"Maggie (Whitlow) had a meeting Wednesday with all the drivers about how they had been displeased with Perry (Maull)," Barber said. "They're supposed to talk to Perry (Maull) and tell him to back off."\nBarber said one of the drivers' main concerns is the service's campaign for student drivers.\n"We're under the impressions that he was brought in here to replace most of the drivers and make it strictly a student-driving University," Barber said in October. "There's not one driver out there that's happy right now. Not one."\nBarber said tensions have continued since then.\nMaull denied the student recruitment campaign has anything to do with potentially replacing current drivers and insisted he was not trying to get rid of any employees. He said the reason for recruiting students drivers is because the service is short on drivers and that Campus Bus thought the job would appeal to some students.\nAlthough Assistant Director of Transportation Services Kent McDaniel said it doesn't matter whether the service hires students or nonstudents for the same pay, he said employing students could be a cost-saver.\n"If we have more student-drivers, we won't have to pay overtime and that can save us money, which is what we'd like to do," McDaniel said.\nA cut in service is another concern of the drivers, including 10-year part-time driver Paul Hock.\n"I do not understand why they will not add more buses to the routes and at the same time they are begging for student bus drivers," he said.\nSchedule changes and cuts in service have also left some drivers sitting around doing nothing when there are buses that should be used and routes that need to be filled, Hock said.\n"There's not enough buses out here for the amount of people," he said. "They're afraid to pay overtime (to nonstudent employees). You should never be jacking the transportation fee and cutting service."\nOne driver, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of being fired, said the drivers believe Maull makes \nworking conditions unfavorable to encourage currently employed drivers to leave the service. The driver said many employees believe Maull sees a different image of Campus Bus Service and its employees than the one that currently exists.\n"He's wanting to force us out," the driver said. "Just because he doesn't like the complexion of Campus Bus (Service) does not entitle him to just make blanket changes to Campus Bus."\nMcDaniel attributed drivers' complaints to them not being willing to work when the bus service needs them most.\n"That's ridiculous. We do have unfilled runs," McDaniel said. "We can't hire enough people to fill them. Not everybody's getting 40 hours, but if they wanted to work more, it might be inconvenient hours for them."\nMcDaniel said service has actually improved this year, and buses have not been cut. Instead, more trips per day are being provided, he said. More trips means less recovery time, he said.\n"It means they're gonna have to work a little harder to provide that service, and some of them don't like that," he said.\nOther drivers remain concerned with what they consider a cut on service and quality to students who are paying for the bus service. Barber encouraged students to complain since their money is being spent on the service.\n"The only thing I see that his plan is doing is hurting the students and the drivers," said another concerned driver who wished to remain anonymous. "And I don't know what the benefit is."\nMaull said Campus Bus Service has recently established a Service Review Committee that "will review all route running times, recovery times and shift hours"