By Sophia Gerni, crime, safety, and justice reporter.
Virginia Tech Safe Ride van. Photo by the Virginia Tech Police Department.
Blacksburg, Va. — Walking around campus or the greater Blacksburg area during late-night hours can bring uneasiness and possibilities of feeling unsafe. Virginia Tech’s Police Department provides Safe Ride, which ensures safe and free transportation for anyone who may feel unsafe.
Virginia Tech’s nighttime safety escort, “Safe Ride,” starts in the evening and runs well into the night. Through a request on the TransLoc Rider app, they will provide walking escorts as well as car pickup by trained student drivers. Safe Ride is there to help students, faculty and staff, visitors of the university and Blacksburg locals get to their next destination around the Virginia Tech campus safely. With the usual form of transportation being a van, there are times when the van is not in operation. In this case, a member of the Virginia Tech Police Department will drive a police car to your location or give a walking escort if requested.
TransLoc Rider app showing the outline of Safe Ride pick up area. Screenshot from the TransLoc Rider app.
Kendrah Cline, Administrative Captain and Safe Ride Supervisor at Virginia Tech Police Department, said she wants people to be and feel safe when walking around Virginia Tech.
“The premise of Safe Ride is that you feel safe going from one place on campus to the next. Whether that’s in the van, an officer comes to pick you up, a security officer comes to pick you up or we walk.”
Cline knows that requesting a Safe Ride could be intimidating to those who have never used the service before, which is why the drivers are instructed to not to ask questions regarding the reason for the ride.
“We don’t really need to know your business or why you want a Safe Ride; we shouldn’t be asking you,” Cline said. “Whether it’s a safety thing or you just really don’t feel like walking, we don’t ask. I don’t want to say that we don’t care, but that’s not our judgment to make; we’re always going to say, ‘Okay, where do you need to go?’
Brooke Nicholes, a junior at Virginia Tech, called Safe Ride to avoid walking alone in the dark. “I was in my car and ordered a Safe Ride to get back to campus. I didn’t want to walk alone at night,” Nicholes said. “They didn’t ask me any questions; it was great.”
Nicholes understands the importance of having someone with you when walking alone, especially for freshmen who don’t have easy or quick access to their cars.
“I remember when I was a freshman, I wouldn’t want to go to my car at night if I had to go somewhere. I would only go places during the day because I was too scared to walk alone at night,” Nicholes said. “I think it’s nice for freshmen, especially because at night you park so far away from your dorm. I think a Safe Ride is nice because you can get picked up from your car and go straight to your dorm safely.”
Safe Ride’s goal is to provide comfortable, easy, and safe access around the Virginia Tech campus. Cline understands that in some circumstances, some may feel unsure about calling, especially if the van isn’t running and a police officer comes to help instead.
“We’re very well aware that if you call for a Safe Ride, maybe you’ve had a little too much to drink and you don’t want an officer to come pick you up. Because of this, we want to have more student drivers so those requesting a ride feel more comfortable.”
Safe Ride’s goal for student drivers is to provide a friendly face when being picked up. The Safe Ride service runs from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. Sunday through Friday in the fall semester and 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. during the Spring Semester. On Saturdays, both during the spring and fall semesters, Safe Ride service begins at 4 a.m. With many students not ready to commit to the late work hours, these positions have been hard to fill.
Cline would like to have these positions filled sooner than later. “One way that Safe Ride can be improved is to try to get these positions filled so that it’s a really efficient, full set of drivers, every night of the week,” Cline said.
While Safe Ride is available for use, Cline understands that people may use other forms of transportation alone. With Uber and Lyft being popular for students at Virginia Tech, it is important to be aware of your surroundings and with another person if possible.
“There are going to be occasions where you will need to order an Uber or something, and you are getting in that vehicle by yourself. In that case, I think it’s good for someone to know where you are and that you have taken this Uber,” Cline said. “Try to have a good, trusted group or friend with you, even if you are walking across campus or out in Blacksburg. Whether you’ve had some drinks or not, I think it’s good just to stay with a trusted group, or at least one person.”
Transportation safety of any kind is always important. When you are in the car with someone that you don’t know, stay focused and aware at all times.
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