If you’re directionally challenged, you might want to think twice before going out late at night next year.
University administrators have decided to suspend SafeRide for the 2012-2013 school year. SafeRide is a late-night shuttle service that picks up students at any destination of their choice, within the boundaries of north to 39th Street, south to 64th Street, east to Lake Shore Drive, and west to Cottage Grove Avenue.
While SafeRide is certainly a flawed system—in particular, it is notorious for its long wait times and inaccurate or nonexistent time estimates—it is a beloved one that works. It not only helps intoxicated students return home safely, but also serves those who live far off campus where shuttles don’t reach, those who don’t want to hazard a thirty minute walk home after a long night at the Reg (especially in three-foot snow), and those who simply don’t know how to get to a certain destination.
In an area like Hyde Park where muggings and pick pocketing are all too prevalent, one should not underestimate the emotional comfort that SafeRide provides. Its door-to-door service ensures that students get to their destinations safely, without unwanted attention. It is also a huge draw for prospective students and their parents who are worried about the school’s location.
After numerous complaints about SafeRide’s inefficiency, administrators have scrapped the entire system. In its place, they have proposed an expanded Evening Shuttle Service that would encompass several new buses and routes, and operate at the same hours as SafeRide (5 p.m.–4 a.m., Sun.–Wed.; and 5 p.m.–6 a.m., Thurs.–Sat.).
There are several problems with this proposal, however. First, many students are confused about shuttle stops and routes, or simply directionally challenged. While it may be a personal responsibility to familiarize oneself with basic navigation skills, these students make up a very real, very large percentage of the population. The school cannot expect this percentage to change. More importantly, the school should not forsake them. Considering the high crime rate in Hyde Park and surrounding areas, safety could not be a more serious issue.
Second, in the situation that a student finds him or herself with unwanted company, he or she may be followed to or from a shuttle stop. SafeRide eliminates this situation altogether. Students, particularly first-year and prospective students, find total security in SafeRide’s door-to-door service. Without such a service, students may be more inclined to walk home rather than wait or search for shuttle routes—an unsafe alternative.
Finally, SafeRide is irreplaceable. Students use it because it is an easy, automatic system that delivers them right to their destination. The same cannot be said for Umbrella Service or the Evening Shuttle Service. Imagine a terrified first-year student lost on 56th and Cottage Grove at midnight. The student is too shy or embarrassed to call Umbrella Service, and cannot find the nearest shuttle stop. If SafeRide were to be eliminated, what would he or she do in such a situation? The student is stranded.
Ultimately, getting rid of SafeRide is not a smart or effective solution. It serves only to aggrandize the problem of late-night transportation in Hyde Park, as well as students’ worries about safety. The administration therefore ought to improve SafeRide by increasing the number of shuttles and operators, and creating a system that automates routes and time estimates, rather than eradicating it completely.
An improved SafeRide is better than a faulty SafeRide, but a faulty SafeRide is better than no SafeRide at all.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Chicago chapter.