FEATURE
BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY
SafeRide and SafeBus provide an often-unappreciated service to students // WORDS BY ANDREA OLSEN, PHOTOS BY ADAM BUHLER
It's 10:30 on a Saturday night, and all three phone lines are already flashing. Aaron sits at a small desk in a trailer surrounded by papers, a computer, a phone and a radio. There is barely enough room to walk and with three people inside, the trailer seems packed to capacity. Aaron takes a deep breath and picks up the phone. It's just the beginning.
All aboard: SafeBus, a program that started in 2007 to accompany SafeRide, consists of three bus routes that cover all of campus and many student neighborhoods.
"SafeRide," he says. He winces and holds the receiver away from his ear; the student on the other side must be somewhere loud. He hates when people call from bars or noisy parties because it's more difficult to hear the caller. He patiently listens and deciphers where the caller is, how many people need a ride and the destination.
SafeRide is a free service available to all KU students who need a safe way home — whether it's from campus, a bar, a party, etc. The program operates seven nights a week between 10:30 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. The average wait time for SafeRide is 30 minutes, but on very busy nights it can be up to an hour. Last year the program had close to 20,000 successful passenger trips. SafeRide won't take you from party to party; it is strictly enforced that you are getting a ride home and sometimes
"A car will be there in about 25 minutes. Have a great evening," he says before hanging up. He logs the information on a sheet of paper, filling in the addresses and the call time. This is just the first ride of the night; by 2:30 a.m. he will have filled in almost 120 rides.
He picks up the handset and contacts a driver, who will pick up the passengers in a Toyota Prius and take them home. Then the cycle starts over again: Answer the phone, get the necessary information, log it, relay it to the drivers.
a proof of residency is required. Though some students oppose this, the drivers must enforce the policy because they are liable for all their passengers.
The lights continue to flash and Aaron picks up the next call. The student is near 14th and Tennessee streets and is looking to get back to the dorms. Aaron pulls out a map and checks the routes. He explains to the caller that he can take SafeBus, which will pick him up at the nearest stop and drop him on Daisy Hill. When the caller protests, Aaron calmly explains that the bus runs every 20 minutes, making it faster and more convenient for his situation.
SafeBus is another program designed to provide students a ride home. Three bus routes — yellow, blue and red — cover all of campus and many student neighborhoods. SafeBus operates the same hours, but only Friday and Saturday nights. The program started in 2007, and has significantly lowered call volume for SafeRide. Last year SafeBus had 24,000 passenger trips.
An hour into his Saturday evening Aaron is joined by Sam Schlageck, his supervisor. They trade off duties — Sam answers calls while Aaron radios the drivers. Tonight four cars are operating much less than the usual 10.
"It's hard to get drivers who want to give up their Saturday to drive around and pick people up." Aaron says. So they have to work with what they've got.
The phones keep ringing, rides are requested and more students start to argue. They don't want to take the bus. The wait is too long. It took too long for their call to go through. They don't understand why SafeRide has to take them home.
Their ride isn't here yet. Why can't the driver call them when he or she is outside?
Even when a caller yells, argues or swears, both Aaron and Sam keep their cool. "You have to be polite first," Aaron says. "I try to keep a level of professionalism. Certain individuals think they're the only ones calling, and their ride should
be there immediately. But that's not the way it works."
Wait time is by far the biggest complaint. With a limited number of drivers and only three phone lines, it's difficult to accommodate the demand. Derek Meier, Independence junior, works as the liaison between SafeRide and KU on Wheels,
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2013年12月18日