Riding the bus is an opportunity not only to converse with friends, but also to learn random trivia.

Did you know that Bob Saget’s character from “Full House,” Danny Tanner, was the host of fictional “Wake Up San Francisco?” Or that Michael J. Fox’s character was wearing Calvin Klein boxers in the movie “Back to the Future?”

Jimmy Schulte certainly knows this trivia, and the passengers lucky enough to ride Schulte’s bus learn, too, as he hosts his regular trivia sessions during his routes.

“At some point, everyone gets on a bus, and generally, no one wants to,” Schulte said. “I’ve been on buses where drivers started giving random facts out on their buses, and it really made things interesting for me.”

Schulte also attempts to be cordial to passengers by saying “hi” and “good-bye.”

“I try to have everybody in a cheery mood because I don’t want anyone on my bus in a bad mood,” Schulte said. “Plus, I hate awkward moments. I can’t do awkward.”

Schulte, a sophomore majoring in landscape architecture, started working for the University’s Bus Transit System in March 2007.

By engaging passengers in rounds of trivia, with categories including anything from Disney to music, Schulte captures the attention of many passengers around campus.

“I had a girl get on my bus last Thursday and ask me to ask her some hip-hop questions,” Schulte said. “She didn’t get any of them right … but at least she guessed,” he said.

Although Schulte admits that everyone does not always participate in the trivia games, he continues to engage passengers regardless.

“Some people don’t answer and just stay silent, but who cares if you look dumb, you still have a good time,” he said.

For added fun and variety, Schulte occasionally asks students spontaneous questions as they enter the bus.

“The other day, I decided to ask people that kept getting on the bus, and I decided to try ‘Are you smarter than a freshman?,’ which drew interesting reactions,” Schulte said.

Occasionally, some questions leave passengers stumped.

Not a single person on any of his routes has answered the following question correctly: What is the name of the band that is featured in “Animal House?” Yet, oddly enough, students have answered questions involving “Saved by the Bell” with 100 percent accuracy.

“I don’t really know – I just thought it’d be cool,” said Schulte about why he began driving for the University. “I get to meet a lot of people, and the job is semi-outside. Plus, it’s never the same thing every day.”

After a few months of working as a bus driver, Schulte mentions he feels almost more comfortable driving the buses than regular cars.

“It’s really weird because the bus is 40 feet long, but you can always see the back wheels,” Schulte said. “Like everything else, once you do it enough, you get used to it.”