Mickey Mahan passes about 290 bus stops per day while driving the same roughly 6.5-mile loop 13 times.

He’ll rotate through three main routes, passing the same buildings, the same stop signs and the same potholes, Monday through Friday.

“I often get asked if the job is boring,” Mahan said. “Boredom isn’t in the job, but in the person doing the job. You’ve got to find ways to keep it interesting and fun and new.”

Mahan, known to many students as “The Flying Busman,” is one of the Centro drivers who works on the Syracuse University campus routes. The most common routes include the No. 443 Connective Corridor route, which loops through South Campus before heading downtown to the Nancy Cantor Warehouse, the No. 344 South Campus route and the No. 43 Waverly Avenue route. The job of a bus driver is one of routine, but Mahan said it’s also one with challenges and rewards.

At any given time, there are up to 20 buses traveling on campus routes, said Steve Koegel, a spokesman for Centro. This week begins a new round of routes for drivers, who sign-up for certain routes and times three times each year. Many drivers choose to sign-up for the same route they had before. This route assignment will last until June, Koegel said, and the sign-up is done in order of seniority.

Mahan ranks No. 20 in seniority out of about 185 drivers, he said. He’s been driving routes on the Hill for the past four years, and been driving for Centro for more than 20 years.

Mahan reports to the Centro garage, which features 23 rows of buses, at 6:25 each morning. Drivers are assigned a different bus each day, so before leaving they are expected to check the lights, windshield wipers and tires to make sure everything is in order, Mahan said.

Most drivers who work campus routes have additional routes, Mahan said, and he’s no different. He drives a route near Nottingham High School before heading to SU, where he begins his day at the Goldstein Student Center on South Campus. He leaves there on a Connective Corridor route at 7:37 a.m.

“Winding Ridge South,” a robotic voice announces through the bus speakers.

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This is the busiest route of the day, Mahan said, and when he drives it on Fridays, it’s the busiest route of the week. That’s because typically there are “helper buses,” meaning additional buses to assist during known busy times when lots of students are trying to get downtown or to campus. But on Fridays, there are no helper buses.

The bus seats 36 people, and 25 can stand comfortably in the aisle, Mahan said. On last Friday’s Connective Corridor trip, there were about 75 people aboard.

“It’s the perfect opportunity to make a new friend,” Mahan said of when students are packed together tightly on the bus.

He arrives at The Warehouse at about 8:20 a.m. with a couple minutes to spare on his schedule. Mahan said there are sometimes cushions of 3-5 minutes built into a driver’s schedule in case they run behind, or so they can use the restroom or grab a cup of coffee.

As he drives the route back to campus to begin a day of South Campus and Waverly Avenue routes, Mahan’s bus has only a half dozen passengers aboard. The PA system on the bus calls out stop after stop in its robotic tone, activated by GPS built into the vehicle’s computer that tracks its location.

“East Fayette and Washington Street.”

As he arrives back on campus, Mahan punches a button above the windshield that changes the display on the outside of the bus to indicate he’s now driving route No. 344. He does another loop, then has a break at 9:20 a.m. He returns to College Place at 11:49 a.m. and drives until his shift ends at 4:37 p.m.

He winds through South Campus, passing each of the 15 stops between Goldstein and College Place. Along this route, Mahan sings the stops occasionally while accompanied by the computer’s voice.

“Small and Lambreth.”

In addition to being open and friendly with passengers aboard his bus, Mahan has become well known for his poetry, which he shares while driving each day. On Friday, Mahan began sharing his poem for the day when a passenger angrily said he was “just here for the bus ride,” and then demanded to be let off the bus.

“As I was saying,” Mahan said after closing the doors and resuming his route, garnering laughter from the passengers. He continued reciting his poem. Those on board applauded, and several complimented him as they exited the bus a few stops later.

Dealing with disputes with passengers is one of the challenges Mahan noted comes with the job. Others include bad weather or road conditions, and for those who work late nights on the weekend, dealing with intoxicated students.

Mahan continues on the same route No. 344 loop, with a scheduled No. 43 Waverly Avenue route mixed in every few trips. He pulls up to the stop outside Watson Hall early in the afternoon and waits as a student jogs up the hill from the library to catch the bus.

“University Place and College Place.”

He said he’s less hesitant to leave students behind on the South Campus route when the bus gets full, because another bus will be along shortly. But when he drives a Connective Corridor route, Mahan said he tries not to leave anybody behind since those buses are less frequent.

In his slightly-less than 300 stops per day, Mahan traverses SU’s main campus, its South Campus, Irving and Waverly Avenues and the streets of downtown Syracuse. He likens being a bus driver to being given the key to the city.

“You meet people and tour neighborhoods that you otherwise wouldn’t,” he said. “It’s a great way to see the world.”

Published on March 1, 2016 at 9:22 pm

Contact Brett: blsamuel@syr.edu | @Brett_Samuels27