GUTS: A 50th Anniversary Exhibition

The reason for The Corp bus service’s operational deficit is revealed in this article. With no vehicles of their own, The Corp had to rent buses, first from Metrobus at a rate of S202.50 per day and then from Omnibus which charged a cheaper rate of $135 per day.

This explains the thinking behind adopting the name Georgetown University Transportation Society. The word society, as opposed to company or system, was intended to evoke a feeling of community and connote a cooperative University organization. Another reason for the use of society was to avoid the appearance of competing with Metrobus.

The name GUTS was first used in 1974. However, it and and the idea for a shuttle service were proposed earlier by Dr. Siegfried Garbuny who taught economics at the University in the 1960s.

Four Mercedes-Benz 0309D buses were purchased in 1974 at a cost of $25,000 each. They were bought using a loan from the University, with the loan to be repaid through ticket sales.

Mercedes-Benz buses were selected because they offered durability and came with a 100,000 mile engine guarantee. Each bus seated 19, with room for 10 additional passengers to stand. The buses were air-conditioned and ran on diesel fuel. They had a 20’ turning radius and were constructed from heavy gauge steel. And, as their bodies were welded into one piece, they offered rattle resistance. 

Three routes offered initially. In addition to the Arlington and Alban Towers routes offered by the Corp shuttle, GUTS shuttles ran to the Law Center. Unlike the previous Corp shuttle, GUTS ran 7 days a week, although the weekend service was more limited than the weekday one.

Fr. Madden, Director of Campus Ministries, is seen in the center of the first image. Left of him is William Miller, Vice President for Planning and Physical Plant, and at the far left is David Ralston, SFS'76, L'79, Vice-President of Student Government. He partially obscures Dean Price, University Architect, who was primarily responsible for the creation of the GUTS Bus system. To the right of Father Madden, wearing a light colored suit and tie and carrying a stack of files, is Daniel J. Altobello, Secretary of the University. In the far right foreground is Jack Leslie, F'76, President of the Student Body. The man seen just above Mr. Leslie, wearing an unbuttoned jacket and a short tie, is Traffic Administrator Lawrence Lorch who directed GUTS.

Photo captioning provided by Michael Karam, F'72, L'76.

In the early years, GUTS drivers were students. They were paid $2.50 per hour and could fit shifts around their class schedules. Applicants had to be at least 18 years old, hold a valid bus drivers license from their home state or D.C., and complete a GUTS driver training course. Unidentified monitors rode the buses at random and rated drivers on their skill and adherence to rules. In 1977, the University reported that the GUTS safety record was twice as good as that of city buses.

No cash fares were taken. Tickets were available from machines located at the main gates of the University (where the GUTS office was), as well as at the Law Center, St. Mary’s Hall, Alban Towers, and Dahlgren Library. Tickets were originally 25 cents. In September 1975, prices increased to 35 cents to help offset a $10,000 deficit run up in the first year of operation.

GUTS charter service was available initially only on weekends and holidays during the school year. In February 1976, the service became available on a daily basis.

In 1976, three new Arlington routes were added: the Route 50 Express, the Lee Highway Express, and the Columbia Island Marina Fringe Lot Shuttle. These served the Medical Center, as well as Main Campus, with a stop outside the Concentrated Care Center. By 1980, the Columbia Island Marina Fringe Lot Shuttle had been eliminated.