Highway of discontent

IU bus drivers have taken on their biggest challenge yet: the free-market economy. On a daily basis, drivers are somehow able to accomplish extraordinary traffic-related feats, including maneuvering under the tight 10th Street underpass and avoiding the emboldened pedestrians who seem to enjoy playing in traffic. Still, even given these impressive skills, their latest battle -- to stall the Campus Bus Service's campaign to hire student bus drivers -- might be one that current employees can't win.\nThis is not rocket science. The Campus Bus Service needs more drivers. College kids need money. Jobs pay money. Students can drive. (Not always well.) So this idea seems to work out well for everyone -- just as it has worked out at several other campuses . There is nothing sinister here. This is simply common sense. \nHowever, this is not to say that there isn't trouble brewing within the ranks of the bus service. Many of the complaints drivers have been voicing for the last few months are not specifically directed at the campaign to hire student drivers. Rather, they are aimed at the policies of Campus Bus Service Operations Manager Perry Maull, whom they seem to perceive as a threat. Drivers fear that Maul, who has only held his position since July, plans to replace them with students to avoid paying overtime. This accusation, which is ill-founded because there does seem to be a shortage of drivers who are available during peak ridership hours, draws attention to an intrinsic source of discontent within the organization. \nIn fact, this state of discord has gotten so bad that Executive Director of Transportation Services Maggie Whitlow recently set up a meeting specifically to handle grievances about Maull and his unpopular changes in scheduling, operational procedures and his treatment of the drivers. A source quoted in last week's IDS article "Bus drivers unhappy with campaign to hire student employees" actually expressed concern that Maull wants to "force us out." \nOther drivers have warned riders that hiring student bus drivers will harm the quality of the service. While this claim is somewhat legitimate (students are notoriously bad drivers), to be hired by the Campus Bus Service, applicants undergo extensive training and testing that goes far beyond the difficulty of parallel parking taught in drivers' education. As scary as it initially might sound to have students directing several tons of steel filled with scores of their peers down Third Street, after further examination, this claim sounds more like an unsubstantiated misplacement of drivers' real concerns. \nSo to the Campus Bus Service, we ask that they work out their differences among themselves. Otherwise, we might be sacrificing a program that will benefit the student body and bring our transportation system up to speed with the rest of the colleges in the country.