Binghamton is actually really good in terms of getting people around.

We have buses,- student-run and city-run taxis, Uber, and Lyft to get you wherever you need to go, almost any time of day. For people like me, I’m able to have a car on campus, which is obviously really helpful. But for those times that I don’t want to pay for parking downtown, or those times when I’m out enjoying the nightlife in Binghamton and don’t feel like driving, all of these options are my saving grace, and I'm sure they’re a God-sent for other students here, too.

But I have to give an extreme amount of credit to anyone who drives or operates these means of transportation because it’s not something that most people could have the patience to do.

Whether it’s the middle of the day and the buses are extremely overcrowded to go downtown for class or through the West Side to go home, or if it’s 2 AM and these drivers are making trips back and forth to bring people safely back to campus, it’s a crazy experience. Taxi drivers are clearly more experienced with driving in these circumstances because of the possible years they have spent doing the same thing in university towns like ours.

Bus drivers have a whole different experience though, because they often have not been driving for much more than 5 or 6 years, and now they have to get behind the wheel of this giant vehicle, surrounded by impatient and rude peers. Buses get littered with garbage, and sometimes even worse things which the bus drivers are responsible for. These people that spend their time driving us around are forced to suffer through rudeness, loud and obnoxious singing or screaming, complaining, and possible riders who have been way too over-served in that night’s escapades.

Usually, I ride the bus in the middle of the day to get down to class, and even then the buses are crowded, smelly, and passengers are cranky. But on the few occasions that I’ve taken either a bus or cab on weekends too or from downtown celebrations, I have witnessed nothing short of a mosh pit of drunk people, pulling hair and dragging their friends to the front of the line to get the drunkest ones home first. And for the most part, the drivers sit and bear it. They drive and get everyone home safely, and are left to clean up the messes that were made after the fact.

I don’t think these drivers get enough credit. I’m personally so grateful for the times that public transportation in Binghamton has gotten me to where I need to go safely. Of course, there will always be issues that can’t be anticipated, and people often complain about the drivers and the way the system works for these issues, but I think the system is really helpful and I think Binghamton students are really lucky to have this service offered to us free of charge. These drivers, especially the bus drivers, are giving up their time to drive our annoying ungrateful selves all over town. It’s like your mom used to do when you still lived at home and couldn’t drive yet. And even in that instance, I bet you took it for granted.

I don’t think I could ever drive students around with all the nastiness and bitterness they give off. So this is to all the drivers of buses and car services alike that get us around safely, and hold it together enough to not scream directly in our faces. I appreciate all that you do, and I appreciate you making an effort to get us around safely. I know the tardiness or bus breakdowns are not your fault, and I won’t blame you for not allowing the 25 extra students enter when the bus is already at maximum capacity. Thank you for all you do, and for putting up with the messiness that is college students screaming, crying, singing, dancing, vomiting, eating, drinking, etc. in your space. And to all the ungrateful students who use these services, remember this next time you get on the DCL or WS or RRT bus, or even a taxi or Uber that takes you directly to where you need to go: they’re doing what you would never want to do, which is making sure you get to your destination safely. Be sure to go out of your way to thank your driver, and let them know that you appreciate what they do for you.