Don Tapp smiles behind the wheel of a blue route bus. Photos by Jeff Watts.

Don Tapp sat back in the familiar bucket chair and adjusted his mirrors. 

“We’re getting ready to roll,” he said as he gripped the steering wheel. 

But just as he prepared to put his mobile workstation in gear, a student rushed toward him. He opened the door and greeted them with a smile. 

“Thank you so much,” the student said. Then, Tapp was off. 

He’s in good spirits as he starts his shift—just as the late afternoon sunny sky is starting to evaporate puddles of rain that fell all morning. As he passes through Lydecker Tunnel, he honks his horn and waves to someone he knows. 

“Watch your step,” he said as a rider climbed aboard.

“Take care,” he said as another exited the bus. 

For 10 years, Tapp has driven the 4 p.m. to midnight Wonk Bus. The DC native—affectionately known to many Eagles as Mr. Don—is among 12 full-time drivers and five part-timers who shuttled a million riders a combined 220,000 miles in 2024. 

Managed by two shift supervisors, AU has a fleet of 10 B20 biodiesel-powered buses that service campus 18 hours a day along two routes: a blue one to Tenleytown and a red route to Spring Valley. A bus is scheduled to arrive at stops across campus every seven to nine minutes. 

“A lot of things have to come together to make this work,” said Alef Worku, manager of transportation operations and maintenance. “This job is very important. We’re here because of the students, and we’re here to serve.” 

Like Tapp, a majority of AU’s bus drivers have worked on campus for at least 10 years. Tapp first came to AU as a part-time driver after 30 years working in mass transit. 

“One of the things that really motivates me is to see these young people developing and give them a little bit of inspiration,” Tapp said. “I’ve always worked nights, so I often see the same students.” 

Once, a student from Nigeria who often rode Tapp’s bus invited him downtown for lunch and to tour the World Bank, where he had just gotten a job. Another time, a rider got on the bus loaded down with Krispy Kreme donuts and shared one of the glazed confections with him. 

Several years ago, when he called his bank to inquire about applying for a loan, his job at AU brought an unexpected benefit. 

“I used to ride your bus,” the voice on the other line said. Even though it usually takes a couple days for a decision on a loan, the former student now living in California told Tapp, “Mr. Don, somebody will be calling you back immediately.” 

Art major Alejandro Vasquez, CAS/BA ’25, has ridden Tapp’s bus often during his four years at AU and usually catches a ride home to Tenleytown late at night after working in the studio. 

“He’s friendly,” Vasquez said. “He offers engaging conversation and words of affirmation late at night. The ride is a ritual where I can wind down after a long day.” 

Jadyn Newman, SOC-SPA/BA ’23, first met Tapp during her junior year and frequently ran into him riding the bus back and forth to a late film class or getting to and from several campus jobs. 

One day on a relatively empty bus, they struck up a conversation. Those talks continued. As they started to get to know each other, Tapp checked in with Newman about her classes and how she was doing. She talked to him about missing home and asked him about his own life and how he’s seen Washington change over the years. 

When Newman saw Tapp pull up to the bus stop, she always knew she would learn something and come away feeling better. 

“He was a huge source of comfort for me,” said Newman, who moved back to her hometown of Chicago after graduation, where she works for Governor JB Pritzker. “I was definitely homesick for periods at AU, and he was someone who reminded me of my family and friends back home. He was so sweet and always made sure I got home safe.” 

When Newman learned she was selected as the School of Public Affairs’s 2023 student commencement speaker, she knew she wanted Tapp to be there. “I had a lot of amazing professors, but he was really down to earth, and I felt like he was so invested in me.” 

Tapp sat up front with Newman’s friends and family—and she even mentioned him during her speech. Tapp was surprised and said it “touched my heart.” 

After commencement, Tapp and Newman snapped a photo together, and he joined her family for dinner to celebrate. There, her mom finally got a chance to get to know someone whom she’d come to call her daughter’s “DC dad.”  

Looking back, Newman is grateful to have gotten to know Tapp and other service staff who keep campus running. 

“There were so many times when Don helped me out,” she said. “Students should make an effort to get to know the people who are helping them every single day, whether that’s in the dining hall, on the buses, cleaning their floors, or working in support offices. Those are special people, and there’s so much to learn from them.” 

Today, Tapp and Newman are separated by almost 700 miles, but they still stay in touch regularly. 

“I get a devotion from him every morning—a text with a thought for the day or a little quote,” Newman said. “The fact I’m on his list of people who he sends that to every day is really special.”