Students at Quinnipiac University complain about many things such as dining and parking. Perhaps the most notorious service on campus is the shuttles.

People often whine about the fact that the shuttles arrive late or not at all. And since my time at Quinnipiac began in 2019, I’ve had my fair share of poor shuttle experiences. However, I had an experience last week that has made me appreciate the shuttle system more than ever.

I live on York Hill campus, which means I have to use the shuttles much more frequently than in past years. Although the spring semester has just started, I have had nothing but great experiences. So far, I have waited less than 10 minutes for every shuttle trip I’ve taken, but the positive experiences I’ve had are not just about timeliness.

Just last week, when I was getting off the shuttle before my 8 a.m. class, my cochlear implants fell off. 

Cochlear implants are a hearing device that connect to my head magnetically and give me 100% of my hearing. I am not sure why they came off my head, but they hit the pavement as my foot came off the last step of the shuttle.

This happens often, so I know to remain calm. I immediately found my right cochlear implant, put it on and began my search for the left one. The rest of the students got off the shuttle and I prayed that no one stepped on it. I surveyed the area with no luck. I wondered if it stayed on the shuttle, so I approached the doors and the driver opened them for me. He asked if everything was OK, and I explained my situation.

He practically sprung out of his seat to help me. He looked up and down the bus and around the stairs to no avail before getting off the bus to search around on the pavement and walkway.

At one point, I turned around to see him crawling under the shuttle to look for it. After another two minutes of looking, he found it. I thanked him profusely and said how I couldn’t believe he was so active in helping me.

“I gotta help my kids however I can,” he said.

I wish I got his name, but his kindness will not go unnoticed, hence why I am writing this story. This is why I appreciate the shuttle services. They want to help the students who utilize the services every day. I’ve had several drivers ask if anyone needs to get to the Theatre Arts center, so they know to go there first and get the students to class on time. Other times they’ll stop in between a shuttle stop to let on a student who was running late.

Despite the thoughtfulness these drivers express, students will still complain. Next time the shuttle runs a couple minutes late, try to remember the driver may have just been helping a girl find her hearing device.