One in 8,200 Where the personalities of Middlebury proper are celebrated ACTR driver gains unique perspective on local personalities

Author: Liam Gluck

Maggie Surprenant is quick to tell you that "taking the bus is really cool."

Having been a resident of Addison County for 33 years, she started driving the mid-day Middlebury Shuttle route for Addison County Transit Resources in February 2007. She also drives the Burlington Link route on Saturday.

Breezing through mid-day traffic, unphased by the baffling one ways and yields surrounding the town green, Suprenant explains how a friend and fellow shuttle driver tipped her off about the part-time position's opening.

"It fits with another part-time job of mine, and I like the idea [of providing transportation for the community]," she said.

The shuttle service provides free transportation around Middlebury for any who need it. Without a school bus service, Supernant explains, the ACTR shuttle is the main ride for the area's public schools.

"And then there's the green factor," Surprenant adds.

"I drive a full 28-person bus to Burlington every Saturday. Imagine 28 cars doing the same!" ACTR has won regional and national awards for developing alternatives to the personal vehicle.

Surprenant is excited about this week's WaytoGo week, "a local, regional, and a state-wide push for healthy alternatives to the personal vehicle," as explained by Nadine Barnilce, Community Relations Manager of ACTR.

Surprenant is particularly fond of the benefit to the senior community of Addison County, including transportation to and from a daily senior lunch, handicapped transportation upon request, and both emergency and routine transportation to Porter Hospital on request.

"We deliver usually 10 meals a week, traveling to the outskirts of Addison County," said Surprenant's friend and co-worker Dawn Thibault.

When asked if she keeps up this quota through the winter's snow, she chuckles. "I've driven through some pretty precarious weather," she said.

Surprenant has also seen her fair share of difficult driving conditions in seasonal Addison County. She began work right after a massive storm - called The Valentine's Day storm of 2007 by some locals - which provided ample challenges for navigating the already winding roads that define the county.

"This is exciting, I'll tell you," she says near the end of her route, when dodging cars forced her to drive toward oncoming traffic due to construction on South Pleasant Street.

Minor headaches aside, Surprenant is ready to take on whatever comes her away.

"My favorite part is the people I get to talk to. They're all pretty neat, and you get to be friendly with them."