The bus approaches the psychology building and a voice blasts over the speaker.
“How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?” the driver asks.
“One,” shouts a student in the back.
“One, that’s right,” the driver replies. “But only if the light bulb really wants to change.”
Curt Cox, 63, drives the Bloomington Transit 9 route and incites an uproar of laughter on the bus. He is informally known throughout the student community as the “funny” bus driver. He tells jokes and has casual conversations with students while transporting them from building to building.
“I don’t know anything about him,” said junior Nathan Haffner, a self-proclaimed frequent rider. “But I recognize him by his hat and his aviators.”
Students might not know his name, but for many, his signature green army hat and sunglasses indicate an enjoyable bus ride.
Cox has been driving for Bloomington Transit for 10 years, creating a legacy. Past and present students recognize him even when he isn’t behind the wheel.
“We have been at Circle Centre in Indy and someone yelled, ‘It’s the bus driver,’” said Jeanne Cox, Curt’s wife of nine years. “Everywhere we go someone says, ‘It’s the bus driver.’”
A girl frantically searches for her student ID to board the bus. After a moment of rummaging, she tells him she cannot find it.
“It’s fine,” Cox says. “Just make sure to show it to me twice next time.”
Cox said this kind of compassion influenced his career choice.
Cox is a graduate of Bloomington High School, “back when there was just one,” he said proudly.
After high school, Cox became a medic and served in Vietnam. Then, he worked with medical personnel at the Crane naval base in southern Indiana. He trained with the Indiana National Guard’s “Racers” fighter division in Norway in 1981, where he acquired his famous green hat.
“We were up in Norway about 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle,” he said. “I met a Norwegian soldier and traded something I had for his warm Army hat.”
Eventually, he graduated from Ivy Tech in 1983 and began working at Bloomington Hospital as a respiratory therapist. After a few years, he spent some time as a travelling salesman before returning to school to obtain further education. Cox completed his nursing degree in 1993.
Cox said he became a bus driver out of necessity. He worked as a psychiatric nurse from 1993 to 2000 and then was laid off after his company was bought out. With close to 30 years of medical experience, Cox faced two choices if he wanted to continue nursing: make a daily commute to Indianapolis or return to Bloomington Hospital where he felt overworked and underpaid. After seeing an advertisement for bus drivers, Cox decided to apply.
He still uses his medical knowledge on his bus route, however.
“I can ask kids that look sick a few simple questions and find out if they should go to the health center,” he says with a bit of a chuckle. “I like to tell them we offer a ‘full service’ bus company.”
Jeanne Cox said he can be just as quirky at home. Her husband enters online sweepstakes religiously and has won two trips to Las Vegas, shopping sprees, tickets to the Indianapolis 500 and several other smaller prizes.
“You never know what is going to be in the mailbox, and it is kind of the way he is,” she said. “You never know what he is going to come up with.”
Jeanne said, all jokes and contests aside, the best thing about Curt is his caring nature. A few years ago, she said Curt picked up a young mother and child. The child was very ill and the mother was trying to take the child to the hospital in freezing weather conditions. The closest stop was several blocks away from the hospital, so Curt decided to drive the pair so they wouldn’t have to walk.
Still, he said he does occasionally think about returning to nursing.
“I miss it,” Cox said. “I liked it, but I have been away for so long. I’m thinking about retirement at this point in my life.”
In the meantime, Cox said he’ll continue to provide Bloomington Transit riders with a light-hearted alternative to the traditional bus ride. And, he says with broad grin, he’ll always have something clever to say.
As the bus arrives at the mall, several students begin boarding. Cox stops each potential rider and asks them to turn ID cards right side up.
“Checking the IDs gives me a half second of personal eye to eye contact with the students,” he says. “I can say hi or compliment girls on their nails or clothes. I usually get a smile after that.”
