Shuttle Bus Drivers Take Tests

Eight of Harvard's more than 40 shuttle bus drivers qualified yesterday for the bus driver's licenses that Cambridge has said all shuttle drivers must get.

Ten shuttle bus drivers took a driving test to satisfy the Class II driver's license requirement, which allows them to drive any size bus. They were required to take the driving test after a November 13 court ruling required all Harvard shuttle bus drivers to hold Class II licenses.

The ruling stemmed from an early October incident in which Bernardo A. Feliciano '89, a shuttle driver, was fined by police for obstructing traffic. At the same time, police ticketed him for driving without a Class II license.

"We didn't know we had to have the Class II licenses," said Feliciano.

"It totally took us by surprise," said Joseph M. Freeman '86-'87, captain of the shuttle bus system.

The drivers drove to Milton early yesterday morning for the test in Harvard's shuttle buses, said Freeman. During finals week, most of the 40 shuttle bus drivers took a written test for Class II certification.

"About 90 percent passed the written test," said Frank Rose, superintendent of central services in the Facilities and Maintenance Department. "There are some who haven't taken it yet."

But not all of the Harvard test-takers were successful. Two drivers failed the road test and one did not bring the proper paperwork, Freeman said.

Those who failed the driving test were failed for "nitpicky things," said Freeman, who passed. But the captain said he is unable to drive buses larger than the medium-sized shuttles.

"The craziness is that I can now legally drive a large school bus," he said. "I'd be a hazard. Driving a shuttle is more like driving an oversize car or van."

The required tests have added to the troubles of the shuttle system, which has recently been forced by the police to move two stops to accommodate local traffic, Freeman said. "It's really put a damper on our efforts to provide better service for the community."

The testing has caused at least one driver to leave his position. Feliciano, by his own choice, will not be driving a shuttle this semester.

"I didn't feel like applying for the Class II license," he said.