Day in the life: Slow night on the shuttle

by Liam Robinson
edited by Tyler Comeau

(Photo: Liam Robinson)

Seven o’clock on a Friday night, Senior Aaron Clarke is preparing for the last hour of his shift. There was nobody on board the bus as he made several loops around from the two most popular stops; the Lakeview and Peterson Manor parking lot stops.

Clarke gets out of his Recording Techniques class at 1 p.m. on Fridays and has time to relax before work and get things like homework and chores done. He makes sure to meet up at the stop by his house to switch shifts with whoever is before him. His shift starts right around the busiest time for the shuttle service.

“The busiest times are right when I start to about five, then it dies down to just a couple people who need to go to Walmart, or grab some dinner at the cafe. Six-thirty is when it usually dies down” said Clarke.

(Photo: Liam Robinson)

Depending on the week, Clarke may have a full bus and have to make multiple loops around campus. “I think the numbers of people who use the shuttle service has increased a lot since my freshman year, especially safe rides,” he said.

At around 7:40 p.m. there was a car parked in the middle of the road, so Clarke had to wait for him to pass. While this happened, two students approached the shuttle, however they continued to walk and thank Clarke for offering to drive them.

After a few minutes the car blocking the road moved, and with his shift drawing to a close he made one final loop to the Lakeview stop and back before driving the shuttle to the faculty parking lot near campus safety.