"You do get a lot of interesting questions from tourists when you're sitting at Johnston Gate, though," he added. "Stuff like the location of Harvard Yard."
The best time to ride the buses (all are relatively new; the oldest is a 1985 model) may be on Friday and Saturday nights, when shuttles can be more exciting than their passengers' destinations.
"Yeah, I've ridden it a bunch of times," says a grinning Erica S. Schacter '97. "Mostly drunk on Saturday nights out to the quad for a party."
"Coming home, it's loud and rowdy," she says. "By the end of the ride, everyone is beginning to pass out."
At those times, it's comforting to know that the driver are certified professionals, often from the area.
"It helps that the drivers are seasoned Bostonians...people who aren't from here could get us killed," McGaw says.
"I feel safe," Schacter adds. "But I'm also used to New York taxis."