At just over four years old, SafeRide, the University of Denver’s campus shuttle service, is already in need of an update – and the first thing to go is East Harvard Avenue.
In an effort to streamline the shuttle route, SafeRide has cut some stops from the itinerary – such as the drive down Harvard Avenue – and added other stops at high-traffic locations. However, this is just one aspect of the SafeRide restructuring, which is aimed at making the service more effective and convenient for students.
In addition to the route changes, which have already been put into place, SafeRide is in the process of updating the Web site, remodeling the shuttle stops and increasing awareness about the services offered. The revisions are scheduled for completion by the start of the next academic year in September.
Although there are many changes slated for the new SafeRide, the new routes are the most significant.
Jason Kendrick, SafeRide coordinator, believes the shuttle service would be more effective if it operated as a bus route, with stops only at busy locations and a well-structured schedule.
Kendrick said that the previous shuttle schedule was difficult to read and often erratic, with no fixed time interval between stops. Now, one of two vans will arrive at each location every 15 minutes, and the schedule will be posted in an easy-to-read format at each location.
SafeRide is also in the process of adding a stop at the RTD light rail station on Buchtel Boulevard since many students feel this would be a well-suited stop.
Caroline Davidson, 20, a communications and Spanish major, said that it was necessary for SafeRide to pick students up at the station, since students go downtown to clubs or bars, then drive home from the light rail station.
“People drink and drive because they think, ‘Oh, it’s only a short distance, I’ll be fine,'” she said.
Other students had ideas for convenient stops as well. Denison Clark, 20, a marketing and finance major, said, “I think it would cut down on drinking and driving if they pulled into the Border parking lot once in a while.” There is, in fact, a new stop at Evans Avenue and University Boulevard.
With new, convenient stops and a tighter schedule, however, comes less of an emphasis on door-to-door pickup services. Kendrick said that these services would still be available if necessary; in fact, calling SafeRide will now connect students directly to the drivers, instead of Campus Safety as before, so the drivers can decide to do personal pick-ups at their own discretion, if time and the passenger load allows.
However, in order to make the most of the two, seven- and-12-passenger vans, an effort will be made to stick to the predetermined route so the greatest number of people may be served.
“Students are going to have to give up a little of the door-to-door, but it’ll make it [SafeRide] faster and more reliable. In the long run it works out better for everybody,” said Kendrick. The university also undertakes liability issues when picking up students off campus.
In addition to the route changes and the new schedule, SafeRide is working on increasing awareness about the program so more DU students may benefit from the services.
This year, education about SafeRide was included in the freshman orientation, and the updated Web site will include direct contact information and an accurate route map.
Finally, SafeRide is undergoing one more significant change – a name change. Soon, SafeRide will be known around campus as the DU Shuttle, which defines the service as a normal bus route and not as an emergency service.
