It’s nearly 4:30 p.m. on Friday, the end of his shift after a long week, but that doesn’t stop Jesse Armstrong from emphatically greeting his passengers—often by name—as they board the shuttle.

“Step right in. What’s happening? How you doin’?” Armstrong shouts over the idle purring of the engine.

“Hey, Jesse,” many of his passengers reply, seemingly unable to resist his infectious smile.

Since October 2003, Armstrong has driven the Harvard shuttle, first working part-time, then nights, and now on the day shift of the Currier Express Route, which runs from the Radcliffe Quadrangle to Memorial Hall.

Armstrong has a devoted following among Quad residents, and he says his interactions with students keep him from getting bored as he drives the familiar route.

“I love all of my students,” Armstrong says. “I call them my students, but they are my friends. It’s not work for me. It’s a form of pleasure to be around the students. I don’t get tired at all.”

WATCH YOUR STEP

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are entering the Quad,” Armstrong yells out as the bus rolls to a stop in front of Currier House on Monday afternoon. “Watch your step and make the best of the rest because my name is Jess.”

It’s a familiar rhyme to any regular shuttle passenger—one heard throughout the day.

For Armstrong that day begins at 6:30 a.m. A deeply religious man, Armstrong says a prayer each morning before he is off to work.

“I’ve always been taught to do right by the Bible. I believe strongly in God,” says Armstrong.

He is at work by 7:45 a.m., and after cleaning and warming up the bus, Armstrong is ready to start his route by 8:30 a.m. His first stop is Soldiers Field Road at 8:50 a.m., then it is off to Currier for his 9:10 a.m. pick up.

For this Harvard shuttle bus driver every minute is accounted for. Ask him when the bus is crowded, and he’ll rattle off specific times, and even estimate the number of passengers.

“It’s crowded at 9:55 a.m., 10:20 a.m., 10:50 a.m., 1:50 a.m., and 2:10 a.m. There are 20 to 30 [passengers] at normal times...60, 65 at most,” Armstrong says.

Despite his careful attention to time, Armstrong remains relaxed, stopping for passengers on his way to and from the Quad.