UMass Transit student bus drivers discuss job experiences
This article was published on April 12, 2013 on the Daily Collegian online publication.
University of Massachusetts sophomore Jen DePlanche runs out of her dorm and through the concourse of the Southwest Residential Area at 6:50 a.m. on her way across campus to get behind the wheel of a blue and orange Pioneer Valley Transit Authority bus — taunts by peers fresh in her head.
“Can you even reach the pedals?” they ask the 5-foot-3 DePlanche.
“Shut up, they’re adjustable,” she replies.
One of more than 150 students who serve an on-campus community of over 12,000, DePlanche works as a driver for UMass Transit, which operates PVTA service in the Five College area.