If you’ve ever had to rush across campus to make a University Hall course or an Ent Center event, you probably have a shuttle driver to thank for saving your tail.
UCCS offers shuttles from 7 a.m. to 10:20 p.m. There is a big crew to help transport students around campus, but who are the people behind the wheel?
Meet Larry! Though originally from Pennsylvania, he moved to Colorado Springs in 1998.
Larry has been a driver for UCCS since 2020. Larry enjoys the evening shifts on campus and likes to listen to music or podcasts to pass the time. “I’ve never had any of the students treat me with anything but respect,” he said.
Larry found out about the shuttle job through a friend. He used to drive trailers, but this job was a perfect fit for him to not have to travel for work.
Outside of driving his job on campus, Larry likes to go bowling or fishing.
Levi is another familiar face and is a student in his senior year of VAPA mixing and mastering. This is his fifth year as a shuttle driver, and he said that driving the shuttles is a nice break from classes.
Levi is a Colorado Springs native. He is a piano player and likes to record music with friends.
Outside of school he is a competitive Pac-Man player. Levi said he is one of the top 15 players of the original Pac-Man game.
In the afternoon, you might meet Colleen. She has been driving the shuttles at UCCS for the past two years. Colleen said she doesn’t have time to get bored on the job because, “You’re constantly moving, and we have to keep to a schedule.”
“My favorite part of the job are the people. Everyone is really nice,” Colleen said.
Originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin, Colleen ended up in Colorado Springs in 1998 with her husband, as it was one of the last deployment stations he had.
She says her favorite hobbies include traveling, singing and food. When it comes to traveling, Colleen’s favorite place she has visited was the Galapagos Islands.
Photo by Olivia Davis