<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3lDstH_1FRfW7ul00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3lDstH_1FRfW7ul00" width="2001" height="1334" >On Oct. 1, Oregon State University will replace the company operating the Beaver Bus, First Student, ending the tenure of approximately five drivers students have relied on for years.When I first learned about the transition, I thought the story was about students losing familiar faces. After speaking with students and drivers, I think it’s about something much bigger.I think students should seriously consider whether they want to support that transition, because I certainly don’t.OSU’s contract with First Student ends Sept. 30 and Groome Transportation will begin operating the Beaver Bus on Oct. 1.In an email, Sara Hamilton of OSU Transportation Services confirmed the transition, saying the company was selected through the university’s request-for-proposals process. Hamilton was unable to provide information regarding the drivers’ pay or benefits, as they are technically not employed by the university itself.On paper, this sounds routine, but the Beaver Bus is not just a service.Over the years, students have come to know these drivers in the same way they come to know favorite professors, advisers and residence hall staff. They’re familiar faces during stressful mornings, late evenings and rainy walks back from class.“I was highly dependent on it,” said OSU alumnus Samuel Colorado. “I would take it every single day to go from campus to my house and from my house to campus.”For Colorado, the drivers did more than drive.“As someone who has a disability, it’s not easy at all,” Colorado said. “The bus drivers, they made it so that the environment was very, very safe. If anything, I feel like I became friends with them.”Colorado recalled one driver who decorated the bus and constantly interacted with students.“If any of us got sick or something like that, they would always give us advice on it,” Colorado said. “These people become not just the bus service, but also part of the student community and the overall Corvallis community.”What I didn’t understand was what the transition looks like from the driver’s seat.This week, I spoke with a longtime Beaver Bus driver who requested anonymity because of concerns about employment.The driver described spending months believing there would be a place for Beaver Bus drivers after the contract changed.According to the driver, Groome representatives met with drivers, collected applications and requested pay stubs to verify wages and seniority.“We were told we would stay on the Beaver Bus,” the driver said.The driver said current First Student Beaver Bus operators earn roughly $27 to $32 per hour depending on seniority. According to Indeed, the lowest reported wage is $19.40 an hour and the highest is $25.77.Then, according to the driver, employees were told there wouldn’t be enough time to train them on Beaver Bus routes before the transition.“Which doesn’t make sense because we’ve been doing this for years,” the driver said.The driver said workers raised concerns and sought help from their union.What stood out most to me, however, was the drivers’ uncertainty.“(Groome) told us no full time, and we can’t work another job,” the driver said. “That’s just asking us to be homeless.”I reached out to Groome Transportation through the company’s online contact form seeking comment on the transition. The website states responses should be received within 24 to 48 hours. As of publication, I have not received a response.For students, this transition means losing familiar faces. For the drivers, it may mean losing much more.“After losing my wife, I’m worried about supporting my child, especially since I’m the only one working,” the driver said.I feel the university made an ignorant decision and neglected to see the compassionate communities they built.They’re built by people like the Java employees who remember your order. The custodians who notice when you’ve had a rough week. The drivers who remember your favorite candy is Three Musketeers.“It was a great job,” the driver said. “Corvallis and the students are amazing. That’s why I pass out candy.”When given the opportunity to talk about wages and employment, the driver returned to the students. I think that speaks for itself.This isn’t an argument against the incoming drivers, but against the idea that replacing workers who spent years building relationships with students should be viewed as business as usual.Transportation Services may see a successful contract. Students see familiar faces disappearing.I think the university owes the people who helped build the Beaver Bus community a much better explanation than “consistent service.”And if OSU wants an explanation as to why people stop using the Beaver Bus, they’ll have to take a look within. Literally</div></body>

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On Oct. 1, Oregon State University will replace the company operating the Beaver Bus, First Student, ending the tenure of approximately five drivers students have relied on for years. When I first learned about the transition, I thought the story was about students losing familiar faces. After speaking with students...

Beaver Bus breaks contract, hearts

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On Oct. 1, Oregon State University will replace the company operating the Beaver Bus, First Student, ending the tenure of approximately five drivers studen

Beaver Bus breaks contract, hearts

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