The UT Shuttle service is quite a bit busier, on a per capita basis, than Capital Metro’s fixed-route service, and its drivers handle a comparable workload to their Cap Met peers. Yet the UT Shuttle drivers employed by ATC/Vancom earn substantially less money and benefits than the fixed-route drivers employed by Cap Metro’s subsidiary StarTran.
| FIXED ROUTE | UT SHUTTLE | |
| Ridership | 25.7 million | 8.1 million |
| Number of routes | 71 | 16 |
| Hours of service | 994,501 | 155,500 |
| Miles of service | 13.1 million | 2.3 million |
| Number of drivers | 525 | 190 (est.) |
| Riders per hour | 25.8 | 52.1 |
| Riders per mile | 1.96 | 3.52 |
| Riders per driver | 48,952 | 42,632 |
| Wage range | $13-$18/hr | $9.45-$13/hr |
| Health benefits | Medical/dental | “Substandard” medical only |
| Other benefits | Paid vacation | None |
| Paid sick leave | ||
| Retirement plan |
This article appears in May 21 • 2004.