UCO student group partners with Uber to offer safe rides for free
EDMOND — Student leaders at the University of Central Oklahoma have partnered with the ride-hailing service Uber to offer students safe rides at no charge.
The UCO Student Association announced the new program Thursday.
“We’ve wanted to offer a saferide program like this for a long time,” said Austin Sheehy, 201516 UCOSA president. “Lack of transportation is an issue for students.”
The campus is in Edmond, but UCO students frequent many Oklahoma City locations in Bricktown, the Plaza District, the Classen Curve and downtown, Sheehy said.
UCOSA will cover the cost of an Uber ride up to $20 from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday within a designated area that extends from Covell Road to the north, Interstate 40 to the south, Interstate 44 to the west and Interstate 35 to the east.
Ride fees in excess of $20 or for service outside the designated area will be charged to the card attached to the student’s Uber account.
Sheehy said he and Nathan Robinson, 2015-16 UCOSA vice president, started working on the idea after Uber contacted them in November.
Statistics show college students are the age group most likely to be drinking and driving, Sheehy said. The safe-ride program can help prevent that, as well as help students in other situations, such as international students who don’t have their own transportation, he said.
To participate in the program, students new to Uber should download the Uber app and use their UCO.edu email address to set up an account. Students with existing Uber accounts can link their account to their UCO. edu email address. Enter the code “UCORIDES” to unlock the UCO safe ride option.
First in the state
This is the first university partnership in Oklahoma for Uber, which already has programs with universities throughout the country, including the
University of Southern California, the University of Florida and Duke University.
“Our goal is to make it easy for students to request a ride when they need it most. Whether their plans involve a big night out or they just need a late-night ride home from the library, a safe ride is now available at the tap of a button,” David Brightman, Uber general manager, said in a news release.
Sheehy said the service will be a pilot program for the fall semester. UCOSA will evaluate the use and determine if any adjustments need to be made to the program.
The Uber partnership is an extension of UCOSA’s Shop Central program, which recruits businesses to offer deals and discounts to UCO students.
Sheehy — a Bethany senior majoring in political science — said most students don’t know what their student government does for them.
“This is a great service,” he said. “Anyone can use it. It makes sense for everybody. And it’s just cool.”
New safety app
Also new this fall, the UCO Office of Safety and Transportation Services has launched a smartphone app designed to increase the personal safety of students, faculty and staff, on and off campus.
The UCO Rave Guardian app is a free tool that allows users to create a profile and invite family and friends to join their safety network as “guardians.” Users can set a safety timer and invite one or more of their guardians to virtually walk with them while on or off campus, as well as call UCO Police Services, send anonymous tips with photos and call 911 — all within the app.
Fast response
When a user contacts UCO police through the app, the caller’s name and GPS location are transmitted to dispatch, ensuring a fast response time. User profile information, including location, is only visible to UCO police if a user initiates contact.
The app is in addition to UCO’s SafeWalk program, a 24/7 service for students, faculty, staff and visitors to campus who would like an escort between campus buildings or to a vehicle for any reason.
It can be downloaded in the Apple and Google Play stores by searching for “Rave Guardian.” UCO community members are encouraged to register with their UCO email address to activate all of the app’s features.