With the low temperatures and snowy weather, students are resorting to taking the shuttles instead of walking.
But even with the snowfall Monday night, Larry Stevens, a Ball State shuttle bus driver, said he felt safe driving on the roads. Shuttles run as long as the university does not cancel classes and close campus.
He came in for his shift at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning and said by then, the roads were pretty clear.
“There were slick spots, but I consider them and keep my speed down,” Stevens said. “Ball State does a good job at keeping the roads on campus good.”
Stevens said the times on the schedule are usually off during bad weather, since drivers are taking precautions by driving slower. Last year was the worst weather he has driven through during his seven years as a driver.
“The snow was piling up faster than the grounds crew could clean it up,” he said. “We had to run the buses through all that stuff.”
The drivers go through training through Ball State and the Department of Motor Vehicles, and before winter weather comes, they discuss what they are going to do and how to handle it.
Ashley Adams, a senior psychology major, said she usually takes the shuttles when it is cold outside, since she doesn’t like the cold and is prone to slips.
She said she isn’t nervous at all to ride the shuttles through bad weather.
“I’ve never had a problem with skidding. They slam the brakes pretty hard,” Adams said.
Brandon Meuchel, a shuttle bus driver, said there isn’t that big of a difference driving with winter weather.
“You just have to brake a little earlier,” he said. “We have the normal winter rules.”
Kris Shroyer, supervisor of bus operations, said the shuttle service typically operates while classes are in session and whenever students are on campus.
"There are times we do operate when classes are canceled," Shroyer said. "We do operate in cold weather to transport students wherever they're going on campus. Really, when the weather hits, we're that full service."
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