The new safe ride program at UNBSJ has been in operation for about a month. So far the program has been quite successful in providing safe drives home for students from bashes, late study nights and to the grocery store.
As the planning team constantly looks for ways to improve the program, the need to expand the Safe Ride route to Quispamsis was decided upon.
The number of students using the Safe Ride program is constantly growing and many living in the outskirts such as the Kennebecasis Valley would like to use the service as well. Because students attending UNBSJ come from many areas outside of Saint John, a vast majority of the students don’t come directly from the city centre.
The decision to expand the coverage is solely to encourage more users to take advantage of this great opportunity. With the new route in place, the Safe Ride van will travel to Quispamsis, as far as the Old Coach Road. This option will be available to students during regular safe ride hours. All of the same rules concerning Safe Ride still apply for those travelling out to the valley too.
The van is not permitted to drop students off at bars and they must be going to a valid home address. If students living further out than the Old Coach Road want to catch a cab or bus from there, this will prove to be significantly cheaper than having to travel all the way from campus.
By expanding to Quispamsis, Safe Ride is making the lives of students living in Quispamsis much easier. Many of those living in Quispamsis, often miss out on events or opportunities on campus due to the stress of getting home. Laura Nause, a fourth year nursing student and Quispamsis resident thinks the new change will really benefit the students, “I think it’s a great idea for when I want to carpool into town and stay late to study,” says Nause “It will be much easier to not have to worry about finding a way home after.”
Not only is the Safe Ride program proving to be more convenient to students, but it also allows the university to take a more environmentally friendly approach to transportation. Anthony Enman, vice president finance, understood the need to expand the program and acknowledges new changes to improve it, “As with any new program we are always evaluating to see where our strengths are and where there is room for improvement,” says Enman.
It is often difficult to identify the changes that will need to be implemented during the beginning stages. Expanding to Quispamsis is the first major change and as new needs are brought forth, the appropriate measures will be taken.
If you see a need for improvement with the new Safe Ride program, do not hesitate to contact the coordinator at saferide@unbsrc.ca. The Safe Ride program runs Wednesday to Friday from 6 p.m. until midnight and during special events.
Drives can be scheduled by calling the hotline at (506) 650-0052.
