It’s Thursday night and I’ve joined Safety Escort Service (SES) driver David Curtiss for a ride along to get firsthand experience of the free service supported, in part, by the ASU Parents Association.
SES is increasing in popularity. In fall 2008, SES received more than 5,800 service calls. Thursdays and Fridays are the busiest nights, averaging 70 calls per evening. On their busiest night, they received 127 phone calls.
Our first stop is at the Memorial Union where we pick up two girls whose club meeting has just ended. They need a ride to their car in parking structure 7, near Wells Fargo Arena.
Along the way they share their thoughts about the service.
“I appreciate the ride,” says Virginia Riley, sophomore. “Not only because of the long walk, but because during the night things can feel just a bit more sketchy. I mean, I feel pretty safe, but it’s better to be smart about it and travel with others.”
We drop the girls off at their car and make sure they can get in before we head to our next pick-up, a male student at the Cornerstone shopping center located at Rural Road and University Avenue. I was surprised to learn that the shuttle services ASU buildings apart from the Tempe campus as well. With a cast on his leg, freshman Richard Pettit puts his crutches in the minivan and settles in. Moments later, we drop him at the Palo Verde East residence hall.
SES provides a safe, reliable ride for students, faculty and staff on all four of ASU’s campuses Monday through Sunday from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. After placing a call for pick-up, a driver will arrive within 20 minutes at the designated pick-up location and drop off the rider at any on-campus location.
Students can also put themselves on a “regulars” list, like Bernice Naranjo who we picked up after her night class. By setting up a repeating pick-up location and time, she doesn’t have to wait for a driver to arrive.
With the service operated primarily by student drivers, SES not only provides safety to a large number of students, it provides students with part-time employment, as well.
After a few more pick-ups and drop-offs, I get dropped off at my own car, confident that I’ll be calling SES in the future.
by Jeff Burns, '09