Champion Commuter

John Gruss - Eastern Washington University

John Gruss is a custodian for EWU and works in the JFK Library on campus.

John began riding the bus in 2009 after purchasing a condo in Spokane, that had a bus stop across the street. With a 25-mile one way commute to campus, it just made sense, knowing how much John would save on gas and the wear and tear on his personal vehicle.

In 2017, John and his wife purchased a home in Spokane Valley and they both agreed to continue taking the bus to their places of employment to continue their savings on commuting costs.

John appreciates that EWU provides fully subsidized transit fares and enjoys the other coworkers on the bus. He says, “it’s like a rolling community on wheels”.

He doesn’t feel like he has any challenges by taking the bus to campus. Occasionally, if his bus is late, he’ll have to figure out another bus to get him home, which may take longer. But he takes advantage of his time on the bus to take a little nap, if needed.

Since logging his trips in 2015, he’s ridden the bus nearly 2,100 times, saved 130,000 miles and has saved $37,000 in commuting costs.

ETC, Michelle Rasmussen states “John’s fellow employees know he takes the bus and are curious to why he does. John is great at explaining why he does and encourages them to also consider utilizing the resources that could benefit them in reducing their commuting costs.”

Congratulations John!