Unsung Heroes: The Bus Driver

By Ajay Singh

They keep UCLA moving. But the 16 "principal automotive equipment operators," as the campus shuttle drivers at UCLA Transit Operations are officially called, do a lot more than help thousands of students, staff, faculty and visitors reach various destinations on and off campus every day. Like Gwendolyn Terry, they also keep passengers informed and entertained. Terry spoke with UCLA Today's Ajay Singh about her work.

How long have you been driving buses?

For about 20 years in all. For UCLA, it will be five years in January.

Do you enjoy it?

Oh, yeah! Most people find it stressful — I don't let the traffic get to me. Get to your destination — that's my ultimate goal.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Being outside, meeting new people — there's a certain freedom out there. On the bus, I'm my own boss. I like having a certain amount of responsibility, people depending on me, asking questions, getting them to their destinations.

What's an average day like for you?

I come in 30 minutes prior to my shift, which is at 9 a.m. these days. I have breakfast. Then I go out and inspect my bus. I check it for damage, check the brakes, the engine, make sure there are no broken wires. Once I get my instructions, I drive off.

How many trips do you make in a day?

Gosh, let's see ... to complete a trip on campus takes 20 minutes. And I'm out there four hours before lunch — so that's 12 trips right there. Then I do another four hours after lunch. There are five-minute breaks in between each trip.

What do you do during your lunch break?

I usually work out at the South Fit gym, which is within walking distance from the bus yard and very convenient.

Why do you work out?

I want to live longer and enjoy life without any illness. I'm into nutrition — I eat right. I just completed a FITWELL class on campus. We take a lot of things for granted, and the class teaches you how important it is to keep good posture. Posture's really important for driving. I told a lot of my coworkers to take the class.

What's your relationship with your coworkers like?

I get along with all my coworkers. It’s teamwork out here — we’re like a family, and we look out for one another. If one of my coworkers needs to use the restroom, I cover for them. In our free time, we talk about life, movies, voice our opinions, but we try not to talk about work because it’s our break time. We try to give work a break.

What's most challenging about your job? When we do specials that take us off campus, it's challenging to deal with city traffic. On campus shuttles we know the route by heart. On specials we look at maps and have a lot of things to consider. We meet people we’ve never dealt with before. But it's the most fun. I overcome obstacles and learn a lot.

What's the most amusing part of your job?

Some of the conversations that passengers have. Like this one lady who gets on and likes to talk about her boyfriend. We hear all kinds of stories. Some students talk about school and their professors — how hard they are. During finals, everybody's stressed out. We try to break the ice by helping students get their minds off problems.