In past years, the Samford transportation service was more of a luxury on campus; however, this year, they have become a necessity for many students. As parking has become more limited on campus and students must park further from their classes, Samford has expanded the “Sam-Tram” program to meet the needs of its students consistently.
Samford has employed more “Sam-Tram” drivers than ever before, many of whom are graduate students or previous Samford employees. Students have come to rely on these “Sam-Tram” drivers to get them to class or events on time.
One of these drivers is Mac Barron, an undergraduate student attending Samford through the online program. Barron started working for Samford about a year ago, doing some work on campus part-time as well as occasionally driving for transportation services.
“This year is very different. People would occasionally catch the Sam-Tram, but it wasn’t a necessity. This year we worked really hard on making it something that is reliable and consistent, and I think the response has matched that,” said Barron.
He operates on the route from the soccer fields to central campus, but he mentioned that sometimes going out of his way is necessary. He only goes off route to address the need of somebody on slow days.
“I couldn’t be more grateful to everyone riding with me because they’ve been so good-natured, so kind, always offering a kind word. It’s allowed a lot of positive connection,” said Barron.
Barron has enjoyed the opportunity to have positive interactions with people he might otherwise never have known. He also has gotten to experience unique interactions with strangers in his role as a driver.
“I can hear everything students say on my tram. You’re not slick; I can hear all the conversations on my shuttle,” said Barron.
Lloyd Fitzpatrick is another one of these drivers. Fitzpatrick retired from his own work three years ago and has been working for Samford for the past two and a half years. He ushered at the Wright Center and worked at sporting events on campus.
Transportation services asked for some employees and graduate students to occasionally help with driving the “Sam-Trams”, but this eventually became a request for full-time and part-time drivers.
“This year is different with those four new shuttles, a private firm runs those that go around campus. The old shuttles run between the soccer field and Mr. Beeson,” said Fitzpatrick.
Another “Sam-Tram” driver that students have probably gotten the opportunity to know is Russel Briley. He graduated from Samford with a degree in Business Management and is now getting his MBA here at the business school. Briley has another job off campus on top of his time as a graduate student and “Sam-Tram” driver.
Briley started driving the shuttle last year but has worked part-time with transportation services since 2022.
“Overall, it has been a fun and positive experience. It’s fun to see so many different people and chat about various things. The traffic and construction on campus are frustrating for everyone, even the bus drivers. But students and faculty being thankful for doing what we can to help them out makes driving so much more enjoyable.” Briley said, when asked about his experience this year.
Staff Writer
