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Safe Ride returns, proven to reduce drunk drivers, assault-related cases

October 18, 2021
<p>Streets of MSU&#x27;s campus on a weekend night in East Lansing on Oct. 17, 2021.</p>

Streets of MSU's campus on a weekend night in East Lansing on Oct. 17, 2021.

Photo by Thomas Ruth | The State News

After the suspension of the Safe Ride program in September 2020, the Associated Students of Michigan State University, or ASMSU, announced that Safe Ride — the free late-night transportation service for MSU students — has begun on Oct. 4 for the fall semester.

The program has returned with popular requests as it has proven to decrease the number of drunk drivers and assault-related cases, according to the ASMSU website.  

Currently, there is a limited capacity of vehicles, but as the semester continues ASMSU hopes to continually add more vehicles.

This semester Safe Ride will run every day starting from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. with an exception of U.S. holidays and MSU holiday breaks or campus closures. Sunday through Wednesday there will be one vehicle available and from Thursday to Saturday there will be two vehicles.

The $3 Safe Ride student tax was removed in spring 2021, but this semester the ASMSU tax is back to $21.

Only ASMSU tax-paying undergraduate MSU students are allowed to use Safe Ride with a two guest maximum. Young children are not allowed in the vehicles.

Students that are looking to book requests must book by 12:45 a.m. at the latest on the TransLoc app.

Wait times depend on different factors, including the number of other students requesting rides, weather conditions, traffic and more. TransLoc will give updates to the user for wait times as well.

Service may be denied if users ask for more than one ride per night, requesting a ride for themselves and more than two guests, requesting a ride to a commercial location or excessively high wait times.

Students can request wheelchair-accessible vehicles on the app or over the phone if needed. No smoking, vaping, eating or consumption of alcoholic beverages is allowed in all Safe Ride vehicles.

Safe Ride covers the majority of East Lansing with the following boundaries:

  • North: East State Road

  • South: Mount Hope Road

  • East: Park Lake Road

  • West: U.S. 127

Different from previous years, Safe Ride will only be picking up from on-campus buildings and dorms, off-campus apartments and off-campus work locations in the East Lansing area. The transportation service will be dropping off only at on-campus dorms and off-campus apartments.

When waiting to be picked up, students should watch out for a vehicle with a lit-up ASMSU Safe Ride Logo on top of the car and wait in a safe, well-lit area.

The service is nonjudgemental: minors will not be susceptible to a Minor in Possession charge. Safe Ride’s main goal is to simply help get students back home safely.

Similar to the soft return of Safe Ride in spring 2021, the effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 remains the same. Seats will be disinfected after each ride and there will be full thorough disinfection at the end of the night. Masks will be required in the vehicles and a plexiglass barrier will be between the driver and riders. If needed, masks and hand sanitizers will be provided.

If riders are feeling unwell or have been exposed to COVID-19 in the past 10 days, ASMSU requests that they do not request a ride.

The TransLoc app may be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play and students can call (517)-884-8069 for any questions. If students have any further questions they can email SafeRide or the ASMSU Vice President for Finance and Operations.

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