HEIDI WARREN
Contributing writer
Patrons may not know Vinny Capizzi’s name, but most will certainly recognize his infectious smile. Riders or not, folks on Bestor Plaza can’t miss the four-row electric golf carts circling the plaza daily — buses, too.
Donning a forest-green polo, Capizzi zips around the grounds, picking up and dropping off Chautauquans along a prescribed central route. He is in his fourth season serving the community.
“I really enjoy being here,” the Jamestown, New York, resident said, while traveling down Wythe Avenue. “Why wouldn’t you want to be here? It’s so beautiful!”
Capizzi is one of 21 Institution employees who provide rides by circling the grounds and parking lot with buses and trams, plus the Children’s School buses this season. Their supervisor is Transportation Director Roy Fisher.
Fisher is no stranger behind the wheel. He worked at an auto dealership for three decades before starting as an Institution driver in 2009. For the last 11 years, he has been overseeing the department.
At the old maintenance building — across Route 394 from the Welcome Center — Fisher arrives at 7 a.m. His day is more tightly choreographed than a ballet: get the drivers going, watch the computer trackers, paperwork, morning school bus run, cover drivers’ breaks, take the children home, eat lunch, drive the tour bus. It’s nonstop action, he said, and no two days are ever the same.
“Driving a bus or tram isn’t a job for everyone,” Fisher said. “It takes special people.”
The gig requires many special abilities, including defensive and obstacle-course driving, tour guiding, babysitting and people management. Additionally, both types of bus operators must have a state-issued commercial driver’s license.
Chrissy Ahrens of Fredonia, New York, is like many other Institution drivers who chauffeur children to and from school in big yellow buses during the offseason.
“It definitely has its challenges,” Ahrens said, while navigating a particularly tight pass around a delivery truck in the rain Monday.
Passenger Paul Cavise of New Jersey marveled at the “finger-tight” maneuver.
“I can’t believe she didn’t hit the mirrors!” he said. “Chrissy is a great driver!”
Cavise, a 50-year Chautauquan, says he enjoys utilizing the transportation, especially on a dreary day for a ride to the Farmers’ Market.
At the sight of Ahrens opening the doors, Carol Nicolai gushed, “You’re a sight for sore eyes.” The Hilton Head, South Carolina resident expressed gratitude, saying how she appreciates all the “wonderful” drivers.
The shifts are long: 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., or 3 p.m. to whenever the Amp performance ends. The department doesn’t quantify a season by total mileage or hours driven. However, six or seven people cover each shift, while continuously driving every day for nine weeks.
The northern routes are lengthier than their southern counterparts. For example, a South Tram loop may take as little as 15 minutes to North Bus’ 25. Patron usage can slow times significantly. Drivers often help people get on and off the bus.
Fisher commented that even seasoned school bus operators, who often drive two or three hours a shift, get overwhelmed by non-stop work on the grounds.
“We just keep moving, no waiting anymore at the main gate,” Fisher explained. “We drive in any weather, too.”
Only lightning pauses the trams, Capizzi said, or the occasional vehicle swap when the tram batteries run low. Drivers also have to dress for the weather, which may mean shorts and a giant water bottle or winter gloves, sometimes on the same day.
The transportation crew is on the older side, Fisher said, with several veteran employees. Jim Croscut and Charlie Loveless have more than 20 years of service. Others have a decade and a half of experience on the grounds. Most are more than 60 years old, with a couple at 78 and 80.
Fisher is worried about the future, as many difficult-to-replace operators may soon retire. But both Capizzi and Ahrens hope to return for next summer.
“I really enjoy driving,” Ahrens explained. She and her Dunkirk students return to school Sept. 3. “I will absolutely return here next year!”
Capizzi expressed the same sentiments.
“I will be back, if they will have me,” he said. “I will miss the people.”
Heidi Greene Warren is a longtime Chautauquan who, in a former life, was a writer for The Virginian-Pilot, based in Norfolk, Virginia. Send suggestions of interesting Chautauquans to feature in a story to: HeyHeidiGW@gmail.com.
