Eugene, Ore.

Many students rely on the campus service Safe Ride, for a risk-free trip home in a 3-mile radius around campus. However, Safe Ride is undergoing some fund issues, as it went over budget by $6,000 last year. Because the service has become so popular to students, the service has been forced to turn away nearly 40% of requests for a ride. The turn-away rate in the next year is expected to reach over 50%.

Antonia DeMichiel, an ASUO accessibility advocate, explains how important Safe Ride is to her. She relies on the volunteers to take her to and from work on campus and her home—without them, she would be unable to maintain her job.

The ASUO Program Finance Committee (PFC) held a meeting last week and is hoping to install Safe Ride with a 40% budget increase. That number might change due to the PFC financing nearly 150 other programs; however, it understands that Safe Ride is an important addition to the campus’ community. Safe Ride continues to look for financial help by attending ASUO meetings in the following months.

If you ever need a safe trip home, please call 346-RIDE.

To watch, please click here: Safe Ride Budget

Suzie Meyer. DuckTV News.