Harrisonburg, From a Bus Driver’s Seat
I reached out to Grantley Showalter on Facebook because we were both in New Urbanist Memes for Transit-Oriented Teens (NUMTOT) and I wanted to interview someone about public transit in small Southern cities. In this conversation from March 30 2018, Grantley talks about how he became a bus operator for the city of Harrisonburg while still in college, ins-and-outs of his route, transit challenges for students, and bike infrastructure.
Did you use public transit before coming to college?
Before college I lived in a small town that didn’t have a bus system. DC was the first time I used public transportation and I was pretty freaked out. I didn’t use it too much before college.
What’s the bus system in Harrisonburg like?
Well there’s a big college in city limits, JMU (James Madison University). The bus company (Harrisonburg Department of Public Transportation) has a partnership with the university.
Harrisonburg’s not that large of a city. So the infrastructure is not as good as some places. The university is big in comparison. Harrisonburg is about 50 thousand people, JMU is 20 thousand, when classes are in session it’s 70 thousand altogether.
Did you attend JMU?
I am an alumni of Eastern Mennonite University, which is a small school on the other side of town.
Which route did you drive and what parts of town did it cover?
The one I drove most was Route 8. I drove between college buildings and the off-campus complexes like Sunchase. Sunchase was 3 miles from the university.
Were there non-students who used your route, and what did they use the route for?
Yeah, one of my routes was to Walmart. People would get on at Walmart and go to campus, because it was a more central part of town, just south of the city. Community people rode it. [Also] there were routes specifically in the town. Those were more what community people would ride.
What was the ridership on your bus route? Was it packed or were there just 4–5 people?
I would drive a loop. Two runs were packed, in the morning. The two runs in the afternoon were packed. In between I would have five people ride in or five people ride out, pretty small numbers.
What were the factors for people deciding to take the bus or another mode of transportation, at least on your route?
Students had to pay for parking permits, not a unique problem for small towns. People didn’t have a car because parking permits cost so much. Students who live on campus could ride the bus from campus to other campus buildings. For off campus students there’s not a good option for walking or even biking. Most choose the bus, because it makes the most sense. There are a few bike routes depending on which housing complex you use.
For Harrisonburg, the city infrastructure hasn’t kept up super well with population growth. There aren’t as many good parking facilities, walking can be a challenge depending on what side of town you’re on.
Did you have an interest in public transportation when you applied to the job, or were you just job-hunting and saw it available?
A: It was out of interest in transportation but a different form. I was into biking, fixing up old bikes, for my friends, generally the bike world. I had a friend in Harrisonburg that had his own bike repair biz in his basement. He also works for the department of public transit in Harrisonburg. I told him I was looking for a job that was interesting. He pointed me in the direction of bus operating because I had an interest in how public transportation and bike commuting were necessary for the future of our planet. He knew I was interested and said, hey you should apply to be a bus operator. He already had a job there and said a good word for me.
Was he also a bus operator?
Yes, he’s also a bus operator, a community member I knew through the school but not directly.
In my school’s campus shuttle system and the CTA system there were not a lot of younger bus drivers. Like I have almost never seen a bus driver under 30.
I was the youngest! There was another guy at least a year younger, at least in college. The median age was definitely mid to upper 40s. Definitely not many student operators. [laughs]
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Did they (HDPT) discourage students from working, or were the hours just inconvenient?
I don’t think they discourage students. Hours were nice. Super flexible, 6 hours shift. I’d tell them, this is when I could work, and get worked into their schedule whenever they could.
[on other reasons to not take the job]
Potentially people weren’t gonna commit to a job that wasn’t long term. And operating a large vehicle — full length 38 or 40 feet buses.
Did being a bus operator change any of your perspectives about transportation?
I got more plugged into the public transportation community, more excited about what’s happening in that community. Also, one day [when working] I was kind of bored and sitting at an intersection. I decide, I’m going to count all the cars that have one person in them! There were only a handful that had more than one person. I know there’s some people who really have to [solo commute]. I was like, there’s so much waste in the number of people who commute by themselves. We have buses!
Did you continue driving after graduation or did you stop?
I stopped immediately after graduating. I moved out of Harrisonburg at the same time. Locationally I wasn’t around anymore. I would have looked into keeping [the job] part time if I had stayed around.
How did you get into NUMTOT?
A buddy from school added me. He knew I drove buses and said “I know you’re gonna love this!”
On NUMTOT there’s a lot of discussion about biking infrastructure but it’s centered on urban biking. What’s biking like in Harrisonburg?
It’s less busy for one, less cars on the road than a bigger city. It allows me as a bike commuter to feel more comfortable biking with traffic. It’s a lot safer in that sense. People know where they’re going, getting lost isn’t an issue. Some cities have bike infrastructure, stopping spaces in front of the car, traffic lights for bikes. I don’t think Harrisonburg has any of those things.
What was the biking infrastructure like?
Depends on what part of town. Some parts are pretty good with bike lanes, some parts are bad. There was a big push to connect all the schools with a bike path and I think that’s kinda stalled out. Definitely not the best city for bikes.
Were electric bikes a thing in Harrisonburg?
I think I’ve seen one or two.
I just thought of that because ebikes would be so nice for going up hills. Knoxville, where I’m from had lots of hills but the bike riders were all recreational, they weren’t commuters. And electric bikes would defeat the purpose of exercising, y’know…
[break]
Did you have a car during your time as a bus operator?
I bike commuted and rode the bus. I still haven’t owned a car in my life.
Do you currently live a transit-friendly area?
No. I borrow a friends’ car. But for now… holding out. I live in Alamosa, Colorado. It’s really, really rural. It’s not close to any other cities. It’s the biggest town in 80 miles in any direction.
Do you still work in transportation?
I help my friends fix their bikes, and yard sales and stuff. I am building a bike for my friend.
Driving the bus has been my favorite job to date. It’s such a thrilling job operating a large vehicle. I really liked driving the bus.
