Rice shuttle bus drivers reflect on changes and connections behind the wheel

By Emily Nguyen     9/2/25 9:30pm

Martine Stewart has spent the past year behind the wheel of Rice’s greater loop shuttle, circling the inner campus from the early morning to late afternoon. She said she has come to recognize many of her regular riders – not just their faces, but the exact spots where they wait to be picked up. 

Rice has over nine routes offered by its bus transportation service, allowing students accessible travel both on and off campus. Manning these routes every day are 18 shuttle bus drivers, some of whom have been driving the buses for decades.

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Stewart said one rider she came to recognize usually joined her in the morning at the bus stop by the stadium.

“I picked her up by the tennis court, and she had a cane, so I always made sure to pull up closer to the curb so she can get on the bus more easily,” Stewart said. “She would say, ‘I’m glad I got you today.’”

This year, Stewart said she has seen some changes to the inner loop route, including new signs for stops instead of just curb markings. Stewart said the changes caused confusion for some of her daily riders.

“We have a few new stops and then some stops that we don’t have anymore, so we have to tell the kids, ‘It’s not a stop anymore,’” Stewart said.

Matt Eggert, the director of transportation, fleet management and delivery services at Rice, said that these changes were an effort to make the shuttle bus system more accessible.

“If you notice around the inner loop in particular, we didn’t have a lot of [Americans with Disabilities Act] accessible ramps for bus stops,” Eggert said. “To make room for us to install those ramps, we had to move the stops.”

Ponce Chandler, who has been driving for Rice since 2006, said that more off-campus routes have been added and his experience as a driver has also changed over the years.

“It is a very physical job,” Chandler said. “I’ve gotten older, so it’s a totally different field now.”

Chandler said that better equipment could help ease some of the physical discomfort that comes with age and driving long hours every day.

“One thing that would make me experience the job at Rice better would be better vehicles and better seatings,” Chandler said.

Eggert said that the department has heard the drivers’ opinions and is working towards upgrading the buses.

“We understand that our vehicles are a little outdated, and we’re looking at different things to try and upgrade them,” Eggert said. 

The vehicles used to be tracked via tablets that drivers would carry onto the buses, but Eggert said drivers ran into unreliable GPS signals as the buses moved through different buildings, leaving them unable to see their vehicle on the map. Eggert said he solved the problem last September by having the GPS units installed directly on the buses.

Another challenge that the shuttle bus drivers often face is maintaining safety on the road, especially with the various forms of student transportation on campus, Stewart said.

“The hardest part was watching the scooters, watching the bikes and watching the skateboards,” Stewart said. “[Some people] would just walk across like they know we’re going to stop.”

Stewart said she’s trying to learn the students’ class schedules to prepare for the end-of-class rushes.

“My goal right now is to figure out the rush so we know everybody’s getting out of class around what time,” Stewart said. “So we know to be more careful.”

Reza Rahimzadeh, a Will Rice College sophomore, said he uses the shuttle bus every day and is grateful for the drivers.

“[The shuttle bus] is so helpful to get from Will Rice College to the engineering quad, and it has saved me from being late to class many times,” Rahimzadeh said. “The shuttle is much more than just transportation, it’s being cramped in and excited for the upcoming football game, having a good time with friends and waiting for that Target run.”

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