{"id":13228,"date":"2020-03-04T00:52:03","date_gmt":"2020-03-04T07:52:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/?p=13228"},"modified":"2020-03-04T00:52:03","modified_gmt":"2020-03-04T07:52:03","slug":"hortencia-aguilar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/04\/hortencia-aguilar\/","title":{"rendered":"Hortencia Aguilar"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Next time you hop on a Mountain Rides bus where Hortencia is at the helm, be sure to say hello. Photo credit: courtesy of Mountain Rides.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you ever ride the Blue or Valley routes on the Wood River Valley\u2019s Mountain Rides bus system, you\u2019ve probably met Hortencia Aguilar.<\/p>\n

Hortencia has been a full-time driver for the company for more than 12 years and loves her job. \u201cI truly appreciate my job,\u201d she said. \u201cI can support my family and I really enjoy helping people safely get where they\u2019re going. A lot of people don\u2019t drive and really rely on us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hortencia\u2019s dedication to her job is evident in her almost not-to-be-believed sterling work history: she has never missed a day of work and has a perfect safety record. Add to that mix that she commutes every day from Dietrich and sometimes has shifts that start as early as 5 a.m. in Bellevue and it\u2019s clear what an asset she is to this community. <\/span><\/p>\n

Hortencia usually works five days a week, Monday through Friday, and usually on the Valley and Blue routes. These two routes wend from the south Valley up to Sun Valley, out to Warm Springs Lodge, Elkhorn, and back to Hailey. So, basically, Hortencia interacts with everyone from daily commuters to students to guests visiting for a highly anticipated ski vacation. She likes them all. For her regulars, Hortencia knows where they\u2019re getting on, where they\u2019re getting off, and always remembers their stop, even when they may be spacing out and forget to request it. \u201cI always make the stop when I know one of my passengers needs to get off because a lot of people are trying to get some work done, are sleepy, or are just not paying attention. I know where they\u2019re going and I think they appreciate that!\u201d<\/p>\n

For guests to the Wood River Valley, Hortencia acts as a de-facto community ambassador. \u201cWhenever anyone boards the bus, I make sure to ask them where they are going and confirm that they are on the right bus. If they are not going where I am going, I let them know which bus they need and where to catch it. If they are coming with me, I make a note of their stop and remember exactly where they need to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hortencia said visitors always express their gratitude for the service and professionalism Mountain Rides provides. \u201cThey love coming to Sun Valley and are always happy to have an easy and convenient way to get where they are going,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s true everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Driving makes Hortencia happy. Hence, the willingness to undertake her commute and then get people throughout the Wood River Valley from point A to point B and back again. Her husband originally taught her how to drive and she credits him with believing in her, staying really calm, and having a great attitude when she was learning. \u201cI had never driven before and was scared but he always said, \u2018You can do it!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Hortencia\u2019s first driving job was the yellow school bus for Sun Valley Resort that is used for various events and guest needs. She really enjoyed that experience, and when a friend suggested she apply at Mountain Rides, she was up to the challenge. She has never looked back.<\/p>\n

Originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, Hortencia has lived in Idaho 25 years. When she is not working, her focus is fully on her family. She and her husband have four children, two studying out of state and two busy at home with activities, school\u00a0 <\/span>and friends. She also spends much of her time with her parents, brothers and nieces who also live in the area. She loves that most days she is finished with work at 3 p.m. and home by 4 or 4:30 p.m. so she can be with her family for dinner and help with homework. She likes to cook and says her carne asada is an especially big hit with her family.<\/p>\n

At work, Hortencia is known for her warmth but also her professionalism. \u201cWhen I am driving, I really am focused,\u201d she explained. \u201cIt\u2019s my job to keep people safe and get them where they are going and I make sure I am always taking that seriously. During the holidays and the summer there is a lot of traffic and people are counting on me. I always greet people and wish them a happy day, but I don\u2019t talk to passengers a lot when I\u2019m driving. My concentration is on the road. I put my attention on where we are going and what I am doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Five questions for Hortencia:<\/p>\n

WRW: Do riders ever ask funny or strange questions?<\/p>\n

HA: Not really. People usually just ask about routes, if they\u2019re on the right bus, things like that. Our riders are very polite. Sometimes I can tell with my regulars that they\u2019re not that excited to go to work Monday morning or something, but no one really complains.<\/p>\n

WRW: Have you taught anyone else how to drive? How did that go?<\/p>\n

HA: My husband and I taught our older children how to drive. That was a little scary because I see a lot on the roads when I am driving the bus and I want them to be safe. But we tried to be patient and positive. If you yell at them, they are afraid and make mistakes.<\/p>\n

WRW: What\u2019s your favorite way to spend your down time?<\/p>\n

HA: Definitely with my family. Like when I\u2019m at work and I am totally focused on work, when I am with them, I give them all my attention. I really like to play with my 8-year-old daughter and just spend time with everyone.<\/p>\n

WRW: What is your favorite Idaho season?<\/p>\n

HA: I like spring! I can\u2019t wait for everything to be green again so I can spend more time outside. I love to walk in the spring.<\/p>\n

WRW: Do you have any pets?<\/p>\n

HA: Yes! We have two little dogs, Maya and Stitch, and a cat that the kids took in who doesn\u2019t have a name. They call her Kitty.<\/p>\n

Next time you hop on a Mountain Rides bus where Hortencia is at the helm, be sure to say hello. She is there for your safety and takes her responsibilities very seriously, but always has a warm smile and a sunny \u2018Good morning!\u2019 for her riders.<\/p>\n

If you would like to recommend an interesting person in the community to be profiled in this column, please email production@woodriverweekly.com, subject line: someone to meet. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you ever ride the Blue or Valley routes on the Wood River Valley\u2019s Mountain Rides bus system, you\u2019ve probably met Hortencia Aguilar. Hortencia has been a full-time driver for the company for more than 12 years and loves her job. \u201cI truly appreciate my job,\u201d she said. \u201cI can support my family and I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13231,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_pvb_checkbox_block_on_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13228","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-commentary","8":"category-people-that-you-meet"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13228"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13228\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}