While Safe Ride is not in operation this weekend, Anna Burk, ASMSU vice president for finance and operations, recommends that students out late use the MSU Night Owl CATA bus service. This system offers rides from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m Monday through Friday and rides from 2 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. To take a Night Owl bus, one must call the service's number and pay a $0.60 fee with the presentation of a student ID. According to the CATA website, a small bus will arrive within 20 minutes of your call to take you to your destination.

For students who are unable to use the Night Owl system or don’t wish to contact a ride-sharing service like Uber or Lyft, Burk stresses being extra diligent when navigating campus on foot late at night. 

“Never walk alone on campus,” Burk said. “If (you) have to, be on the phone with someone. Walk in lit areas. Be aware of your surroundings.”

The delay is due to “finalizing staffing and operations for the semester," according to an Instagram post sent out on Sept. 8. Burk said this largely comes down to hiring the service’s operations assistants, the students who monitor service calls every night. 

ASMSU sent out offers to two individuals for the position in late August, but both individuals were ultimately unable to take on the job. 

ASMSU’s HR team reopened the job application on Handshake, according to an Instagram post on Sept. 3. 

“(HR) has been reviewing applications as they come in,” Burk said. “Offers are being sent out either today or tomorrow to make sure that we can get (the service up) as quick as possible.”

Once the assistants are hired, they will undergo training through ASMSU and the university itself, which takes a total of two weeks. Until then, Burk and Safe Ride Director Lauren Harding will be fulfilling the responsibilities of the role.