People who make UChicago safe: Latoya Berry

MAY 1, 2023

Latoya Berry has driven UGo shuttles for the University of Chicago for the past 13 years. She talked with us about why she decided to become a shuttle bus driver and her favorite parts of her job.

Some of the answers have been edited for clarity and length.

What made you interested in joining the University of Chicago as a shuttle bus driver?

I think because it feels more like I’m outside and get to see more of nature than being in an office all day. I think that’s why I chose it…It’s like I’m outside in nature all the time and that gives you a little peace of mind.

What part of your job gives you the most pride?

It’s the safety part. You have to be safe doing this job, you have to drive for other people. That’s the most important part. Even with the pedestrians, the motorists, the people on scooters, we’re keeping them safe as well as ourselves.

Especially on the downtown connector route, there’s a lot of people driving cars who see this big white bus and they think they can jump in front of it. This bus does not exactly stop at the drop of a dime, but with us being skilled drivers, we know how to stop the bus when someone might try to cut in front of us. But I wish more people drove safely.

If you could have people know one thing about the work that you do, what would it be?

I always encourage the students to ask the drivers where this bus goes, because the drivers know. Most of the drivers know their route and they know where the different buildings are on their route. If you ever need to go somewhere, if you have an address or a building name, a driver will be able to help.

These buses are for their safety. I think it’s a good resource for the University to have these buses for students and staff members.

What do you enjoy most about your work with the University of Chicago?

Oh man, the passengers are always nice; they’ve always been super great. I like my job, I like driving.

I normally have three routes that I do in a day within my regular route—I do the Midway Metra, Apostolic, and the Downtown Connector. I get to meet my regular people every day, you kind of get a rapport. It’s like Cheers, everyone knows your name!

There’s a lot of passengers that have known me since I’ve been here, I know about their family and they ask me about mine.

As someone who wants to be a leader in whatever community I serve, I walk away from these events with a lot of gratitude.

My last question is the hardest question, what is your favorite TV show?

I like Gordon Ramsey’s shows. I like cooking shows, I like to cook. I love baking, anything sweet. I have a sweet tooth. I also love tur-du-ken. It’s a turkey, duck, and chicken, all stuffed into each other with stuffing. It’s NOT healthy! But I love baking this turkey because I normally don’t eat turkey, but my husband first made me a turkey with this recipe and said, ‘You’re going to love it, it’s juicy.’ I tried it and it’s the most tender thing you will ever have. I promise you, it will come out juicy.

[Edited transcript]