James Hughes is a senior at the University of Iowa studying Marketing Management. He served as Assistant Parade Director in 2018 and Director of Marketing in 2019 on the UI Homecoming Council. For the past three years, he has also been working for University of Iowa's Parking and Transportation employment center as a Cambus driver.

COVID-19 has made lots of campus partners, organizations, and departments understand the importance of the service that Cambus provides to our campus. Many students know Cambus as a way to get to class or downtown, but don’t know that it transports thousands of UIHC employees daily to and from work. When it comes to large incidents like COVID-19 or even a simple snowy morning, many realize that when the bus does not show up, it may leave them stranded. This is, according to James, "What motivates most Cambus employees to come to work and realize that they truly keep campus moving".

With the virus, Cambus has begun taking all precautions to keep both employees and passengers safe. Masks are provided to workers, and are highly encouraged. Disinfectant wipes are also regularly utilized on each bus, and only the rear door is used for boarding. The office and maintenance facility also continue to practice effective social distancing.

While this was not how James pictured his last few weeks of his job to end, he is content with all his experiences working at Cambus. He held two leadership positions during his time in the department, which taught him lessons of equity, operations, professional communication, and advocacy. "The skills and lessons learned in those positions can easily be transferred to any workplace, even if not in transit", he says. His workplace has enabled him to have the "early, essential, and heavily applicable transit experience that many young people never have. Cambus let me find my passion".

After graduation, James will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison for his Masters in Urban and Regional Planning. He hopes and dreams to make cities more pedestrian and transit friendly, and hoping to apply some of what Cambus has taught him over the years.