Over 1,160 Georgetown University community members signed a petition demanding the university end its plans to transfer management of its shuttle service, Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle (GUTS), to a third-party vendor. 

Under the university’s new policy, GUTS drivers will have to transfer to the third party, Abe’s Transportation, which would make them no longer university employees, or shift to a position in another department, many of which pay less. The Georgetown Coalition for Workers’ Rights (GCWR), a student group advocating for labor rights on campus, submitted the petition, which included more than 1,130 signatures at the time, to the university Sept. 19, concluding a week of student advocacy on behalf of GUTS drivers.

Elinor Clark (CAS ’27), GCWR’s facilities team lead, said students should use their influence to advocate for drivers.

“Georgetown University needs to know that the students are on the side of the workers and students will fight for our community no matter what,” Clark told The Hoya. “We know that Georgetown, while they may not care about workers, they care about money, and students are the ones who pay their bills. It’s our tuition money, and we need to hold the university accountable to how they use that money.”

The petition’s authors addressed it to Interim University President Robert M. Groves, Chief Operating Officer David Green and Vice President of Planning and Facilities Management Lisa Belokur.

A university spokesperson said the shift is part of the university’s broader efforts to reduce costs in light of “unprecedented threats” to its finances, citing budget cuts Groves announced in April amid the federal government’s actions targeting universities. 

The spokesperson cited a Washington, D.C. law mandating private bus fleets to be electric by 2045 as the reason for the switch, saying it would cost the university about $60 million to do so without a third-party vendor.

“Abe’s Transportation has expertise in transportation that is required to improve operational efficiency and facilitate compliance with the District of Columbia’s zero-emissions vehicle law,” the spokesperson wrote to The Hoya.

Joseph A. Ferrara, Georgetown’s senior vice president and chief of staff, accepted the petition on behalf of Groves, Green and Belokur. Ferrara said he would talk with university officials about the petition.

“I’ll make sure that the right people have this and that we review it carefully,” Ferrara told the students who delivered the petition.

When asked by protesters to “communicate directly” with GUTS drivers, Ferrara said that “sounds absolutely reasonable.”

Fiona Naughton (SFS ’26), one of the students who delivered the petition, said Ferrara’s response was encouraging but is meaningless without tangible action from the university.

“The administration’s response demonstrates an ability to listen in good faith to our demands, and it demonstrates that they’re willing to recognize the campaign of the GUTS bus drivers,” Naughton told The Hoya. “But I think that Joseph Ferrara’s response doesn’t matter: How the administration chooses to respond to this position will determine everything going forward.”

The student advocacy comes two weeks after The Hoya reported details about the university’s plans, including that the shift to Abe’s Transportation could reduce many employees’ benefits, such as health insurance and retirement packages. The drivers will remain eligible for tuition assistance, which covers 67% of tuition, for five years, while their dependents will remain eligible for 10 years. 

The university spokesperson said drivers will not experience a significant change in benefits.

“Georgetown is committed to ensuring that any current employees impacted by this transition receive employment with comparable compensation and benefits, unless they accept another position with the University,” the spokesperson wrote.

Noel Tiongson, a GUTS driver, said the student support is giving him and other drivers renewed confidence in the Georgetown community.

“I’m very, very pleased that they’re exhibiting an incredible amount of spirit in this whole issue, because it’s very important for us to know that they got our back,” Tiongson told The Hoya.

As part of GCWR’s “Week of Action” for GUTS drivers, the group canvassed Sept. 15-18 at the McDonough Bus Turnaround and the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, the on-campus GUTS stops, to inform riders about the choice drivers will face and garner support. GCWR also held a worker appreciation event Sept. 18 to celebrate the drivers.

Naughton said she and other canvassers saw how important GUTS drivers are for university community members.

“In talking not only to GUTS drivers, but also to the people who take the GUTS buses every day, it becomes clear that this is a decision completely motivated by profit, and that the university is doing something that goes against the wishes of the GUTS drivers, and also the people who rely on the GUTS buses for their livelihoods,” Naughton said.

Ignacio Loaiza Sandoval (CAS, McCourt ’28), who attended the petition delivery, said he hopes GUTS drivers do not feel “invisible.”

“There are people driving these buses, and for the longest time, they’ve been told that they are members of our community,” Sandoval told The Hoya. “They’ve been told to carry these Jesuit values and that they would be treated with these values. I feel like the current labor negotiation going on, or lack thereof, is really violating their humanity and breaking that trust and community that we have built with our GUTS drivers.”

Clark said she hopes GUTS drivers will see how much the university community cares about them.

“Students, the community, we stand with the bus drivers,” Clark said. “A lot of bus drivers have said they see themselves as Hoyas, and I think sometimes students don’t show that that feeling is mutual. With actions like this, we want to make sure that the bus drivers know that they’re Hoyas too. And we go to bat for Hoyas.”

Tiongson said he is hopeful the university will change its plans for drivers.

“It’s making it absolutely clear that we are part of that family,” Tiongson said. “I think everyone in our department is very encouraged and hopeful that we get to stay with Georgetown, and the support gives us more assurance that maybe that is possible.”