Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

On the Job: Barry Hicks

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A PROFESSIONAL DRIVER?

I’ve done this since I was 21. I have always liked to drive. I drove a school bus for a short time and drove for CRIS Senior Services and Crosspoint Human Services in Danville for a few years. I absolutely loved driving that school bus. I was pretty close to the kids’ ages so we got along really well. At Crosspoint, I transported some profoundly mentally and physically handicapped people.

HOW DID YOU END UP AT THE UI?

I had a friend who worked here and he told me what a great place it was to work. I had tried to get on here for years and I almost gave up on it. It’s been everything I thought it would be. It’s not a place people want to leave.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT DRIVING YOU LIKE?

It relaxes me. I like to be out and I like to see things. I don’t like a boss breathing down my neck.

WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT SERVING DISABLED UI STUDENTS?

All of them have had problems with their bodies, but their minds are just as good as ours. We have a lot of fun and joke around a lot. They’re just a group of young adults – they’re students.

WITH ALL THE VEHICLE AND FOOT TRAFFIC YOU FACE DAILY ON CAMPUS, DO YOU EVER GET ROAD RAGE?

I’m usually a pretty happy person and traffic doesn’t bother me a bit. I’m told I’m one of the most laid-back guys around. Everything works itself out and hollering and screaming doesn’t change anything. There are so many people who complain daily and I see what the kids I pick up are going through. These people have no idea. I’ve always told new drivers, ‘This is not the place to work if vehicle traffic and pedestrians bother you because it’s going to be that way every minute.’

ANY STUDENT WHO PARTICULARLY INSPIRES YOU?

There is a girl I pick up who has all these obstacles, but she is determined she’s going to get her degree. On the worst days she’s there ready to go. She has the best outlook on life. She always gets around and you just have to give it to her for how committed she is. Ninety percent of my riders are OK with their disability and live a normal life.

WHAT SKILL IS MOST VALUABLE IN YOUR JOB?

I’m a people person. I like to watch people; I like to find out more about them. Everybody’s different and I guess that’s what makes the world go ’round.

HOW IS THE UI DISABILITY-SERVICES BUS ROUTE OPERATED?

Basically, they get on and tell us where they need to go. We run Quad routes all day starting at 7:30 in the morning. We have a bus that serves a route on each side of campus and the night driver will make scheduled pickups from 7:30 to 10 p.m. They can also call for rides. We don’t go off campus unless it’s school or medical related. We don’t have time to get off the bus and walk them to class, but if they ask, we’ll do it. Most of them who need that extra assistance have a personal aide.

HOW MANY PICKUPS DO YOU MAKE IN A TYPICAL DAY?

On a good, sunny day like today, we may transport 50. On a day with ice and snow, maybe 150.

I KNOW YOU SAID YOU DON’T GET ROAD RAGE, BUT ALL THAT TIME IN TRAFFIC MUST IRRITATE YOU FROM TIME TO TIME.

To me, I think the traffic here flows pretty well with that many people on campus. As far as vehicles, there’s a big difference between campus and the real world. If there’s a lot of pedestrian traffic, I just sit there and watch them. I like watching people anyway. Bikes, now that’s the biggest thing for me. They really take advantage and it’s dangerous. It’s like they don’t have to follow pedestrian or vehicle rules. I’ve seen lots of bike accidents and they should really pay more attention.

WHAT DO YOU DO TO RELAX AFTER A LONG WEEK OF DRIVING?

Anything outside. That’s where I always want to be. I’m just a hangout kind of guy. I’m a nine-month employee so in the summer a friend and I have several yards we mow. I have been bowling for five years but my average is still only 100. It’s a lot of fun and something to do on a Saturday night.

Read Next

Arts Photo of seven dancers onstage wearing blue tops and orange or yellow flowing skirts. The backdrop is a Persian design.

February Dance includes works experimenting with live music, technology and a ‘sneaker ballet’

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The dance department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will present February Dance 2025: Fast Forward this week at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. February Dance will be one of the first performances in the newly renovated Colwell Playhouse Theatre since its reopening. The performances are Jan. 30-Feb. 1. Dance professor […]

Honors portraits of four Illinois researchers

Four Illinois researchers receive Presidential Early Career Award

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Four researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign were named recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on young professionals at the outset of their independent research careers. The winners this year are health and kinesiology professor Marni Boppart, physics professor Barry Bradlyn, chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Ying […]

Arts Black and white photo of a grand piano sitting in a room with a brick wall lit by the sun in the background.

Krannert Art Museum exhibition shows midcentury modern homes as places for artistic production

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Several Champaign-Urbana homes designed by local architects between the 1940s and 1990s were also made as settings for artistic performances and cultural conversations. An exhibition at Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign examines how four midcentury modern homes served as incubators for avant-garde culture in the community. “Making Place […]

Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

507 E. Green St
MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820

Email: stratcom@illinois.edu

Phone (217) 333-5010