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The Michigan Daily - Weekend, etc. Magazine

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he Michigan Daily - Weekend, etc. Magazine - Thursday, December 9, 1999


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Student driver Kelly Augustine waits for the barn doors to open before taking his bus out for his next shift.
Everyday 21 thousand staff members, faculty and students hop on the
transit coaches affectionately known as the "Blue buses" commuting between
Central, North and South Campus. These trips amounting to 2500 miles daily,
can't happen without the support of a dedicated staff consisting of three
supervisors, 24 regular drivers, 59 student drivers, three mechanics and four
service attendants.
The Transportation Department is housed at Kipke Drive, across from
Crisler Arena. This is where the 40 "Blue buses" are parked and maintained.
Drivers start their shifts here as early as 6:10 a.m., rain or shine, and the last
driver returns his bus at 3 a.m. There are at least 15 buses on the streets of
Ann Arbor at any time commuting busy passengers to their destinations.
Back at the Transportation Department, mechanics work hard to
ensure sate and well maintained buses. They perform regular maintenance
and repairs on a daily basis. As for basic maintenance, four service attendants
are on duty at night to clean up the interior, fuel the buses, check for engine
fluids and drive the buses through a bus-washing machine. There are supervi-
sors who coordinate the department to ensure that everything runs smoothly
- from minor tasks of answering trivial questions to scheduling of routes and
jobs Lastly, the drivers take the buses out to greet the University with pride in
their jobs, families and vehicles.

Service attendant David Rossman prepares the buses for use the

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