Safe Ride Program Resumes Service for Students On Campus and in Fayetteville

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New Safe Ride vans

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas Safe Ride program has started its third year of service for students, offering students a safe means of late-night transportation from any uncomfortable or inconvenient situation, on campus or in Fayetteville.

This year the service will be operating three new vans recently purchased with funds provided by the Associated Student Government, which funds the program through student activity fees and local donors.

Safe Ride offers two services for students from Monday through Saturday nights:

• Safe Ride On Campus, which operates Mondays and Tuesdays from 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. and provides service on campus only.
• Safe Ride, which runs Wednesday through Saturday nights from 10:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. and provides service from anywhere in the Fayetteville city limits — including on campus —  to a student’s official residence as indicated in UA Connect.

“Safe Ride is a valuable resource, but it’s not meant to be considered as a primary transportation service,” said Adam Waddell, associate director of Razorback Transit. “When an unexpected situation develops at night and other plans and options fall through, Safe Ride is available for students to get them home safely.”

Safe Ride was started by the Associated Student Government and Razorback Parking and Transit in 2017, with ASG providing the funding while Razorback Transit provides the service. Local donors include the McBride Distribution Company, the Women’s Giving Circle and the David R. Johnson II Memorial Fund.

Last year the Safe Ride program provided rides for 7,431 passengers – more than double the number from the previous year. In total the service provided nearly 5,500 rides, covering more than 11,800 miles during the fall and spring semesters.

More information one how and when to use Safe Ride is available on the ASG website as well as the Parking and Transit website.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2.7 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.