Most campus residents have, at least, once this year been awakened by a piercing siren or a rumbling helicopter at 2 a.m. On your way to class, you’ve likely seen a CSO truck patrolling parking lots or a VUPD cruiser sitting at the street corner. From the ubiquitous shuttles ferrying people across the Medical Center to the intricate network of service vans maneuvering behind the scenes, each vehicle plays a certain role in the daily rhythm of life at Vanderbilt. As the days turned into months, I’ve compiled this somewhat comprehensive but non-exhaustive guide to the bustling vehicular ecosystem around and above campus that has been keeping Vanderbilt and VUMC on the move.
Police
VUPD primarily operates a fleet of Ford Police Interceptor Utilities. Based on the civilian Ford Explorer, these specialized vehicles often make the news and are a standard staple for police departments across the country. VUPD also has a fleet of unmarked vehicles and a regular Ford F-150 with aftermarket equipment.
CSO
Community Service Officers are commonly spotted around campus streets and parking facilities in Nissan Frontiers or Toyota RAV4s. Recently, they welcomed a small Ford Maverick into their fleet.
VandyRide
You’ve most likely taken a trip in one of these vehicles after a shivering wait on a cold winter night. New this school year is a fleet of Lightning ZEV4 VandyRide buses that traded their gas-guzzling Chevy V8s for some whining electric motors. While not known for having the smoothest ride or outstanding reliability, these battery-powered carriages have more or less spared us from occasions of having to walk across campus alone in the dark.
Mobility rides
These purpose-built vehicles provide mobility rides for individuals in need. The smaller GEM e6 is used to maneuver around narrow pedestrian paths on campus while the larger Chrysler Voyager is driven on wider roads with more traffic.
VUMO and Auxiliary Services
Here are some of the more behind-the-scenes services. Vanderbilt University Maintenance and Operations, formerly known as Plant Operations, relies on a fleet of golf carts and conventional vans and trucks to keep campus facilities up and running. So, when you catch that suspiciously grimy “Vandy Van” again, rest assured that it is simply on its way to fix things that need fixing. Meanwhile, Campus Dining and Catering and Events, part of Auxiliary Services, navigate daily around campus in box trucks to make sure our residents and visitors stay well fed.
VUMC shuttles
The Medical Center’s version of the VandyRide is bigger, louder and runs all day. These buses transport staff or visitors between VUMC campuses and parking facilities.
VUMC emergency ground transport
Part of the Medical Center’s emergency operations are ground ambulances branded under Vanderbilt LifeFlight and Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital. LifeFlight ambulances are built by Excellance on the Type I Freightliner M2 or the Type III Ford E-450 chassis. Children’s Hospital ambulances are built by Osage on the Type I Freightliner M2, Ford F-550 or Ram 5500 chassis.
Vanderbilt LifeFlight helicopters
This is probably the main reason you’re here. Despite bearing the Vanderbilt LifeFlight name, none of these rumbling rotorcrafts are flown by VUMC itself but by Air Methods, instead. Currently, the LifeFlight helicopter fleet consists of the following nine Airbus helicopters of three different models:
H130
- N106VU
- N107VU
Unfortunately, N107VU never showed up while I had the camera ready. Catch you next year, maybe?
H135
- N104VU
- N105VU
- N108VU
- N110VU
- N135LF
N135LF’s rather perfunctory look is perhaps due to its status as the backup helicopter used when others are not available.
H145
- N101VU
- N103VU
Fun fact: N101VU was featured in the music video of “Highway Don’t Care” by Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban.
Other helicopters
Occasionally, helicopters from other operators and entities would visit VUMC. The loudest-of-all award has always gone to the Army’s Black Hawk.
Vanderbilt LifeFlight plane
Unbeknownst to many is the revelation that Vanderbilt has an air force with one plane — just kidding. This Pilatus PC-12 operated by Air Methods under the Vanderbilt LifeFlight name is used for longer-distance air medical transportation. However rarely it appears above campus, you might still find it at your local hometown airport this summer.
So, that’s a quick spin around Vanderbilt’s motorized menagerie this year. Whether you’re zipping through the darkness in a silent VandyRide bus or catching a glimpse of a life-saving helicopter overhead, there’s almost always a trusty chariot to get people and things where they need to be. Next time when an ambulance with flashing lights or an inconspicuous Campus Dining truck passes by, know that it’s all part of the vehicular choreography that keeps the Vanderbilt community on the move.
