Campus Rides Takes Over UNH
Campus Rides Offers a Free Taxi Service for UNH Students
By STEPHANIE
FIELD
November 13,
2013, 9:00 p.m.
DURHAM, N.H.--Going
to the bars is on most legal-aged college students’ weekend to-do list. College bars, especially the ones in Durham,
N.H. offer cheap drinks that are adequate for a student partying on a
budget. However, if students are not in
walking distance to the bars the question always arises as to who will be the
designated driver. Pulling a name out of
a hat isn’t always the best solution for this pressing issue and taxis can be
expensive. Safe rides is an option but
should be kept for emergencies.
This academic
year, however, students no longer have to worry about who will be the
designated driver, Campus Rides has taken over the University of New Hampshire
(UNH) offering a free taxi service that has risen dramatically in
popularity.
“Taxi service
working off tips,” is printed on the side of the large Campus Rides conversion
van.
“Campus rides
is reliable,” said Katie Pipitone, resident of the Cottages of Durham, when
asked whether she would prefers safe rides or campus rides.
Campus rides
began the start of the fall semester, August 28th. UNH graduate Avram Niebling, UNH senior Derek
Swanson, and Bobby Berwick are the three guys running the taxi service.
Niebling
established campus rides. He advertised
campus rides by telling his friends and passing flyers around campus. Niebling initially did not know what to
expect.
Niebling told
TNH that his first night was pretty quiet until 11 p.m. Calls immediately began flooding in and
campus rides took off. Niebling was so
busy and overwhelmed from the first night that a second van was purchased two
days later due to popularity.
Swenson and
Berwick were then added to the team.
UNH has a
representation for being a party school, so it almost seems natural that campus
rides was established and gained quick popularity. According to the Princeton Review UNH is
ranked number 46 for top party schools in the nation, in 2007 it was ranked
number seven.
Not only is UNH
known as a party school but is also known for high alcohol consumption.
The NH
Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Services
released an “issue brief” in September 2013 showing that 73 percent of the
18-25 year olds in NH consume alcohol and 49 percent binge drink; the national
average is 61 percent and 40 percent. According
to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) binge drinking is considered
consuming more than five alcoholic drinks in a row.
These numbers
show that young adults in NH consume more alcohol than the national
average. The consumption of alcohol can
lead to the risky decision of drunk driving.
According to US
News and World Report one in five students in the nation admitted to drunk
driving and 40 percent surveyed acknowledged that they have ridden with a drunk
driver.
Campus rides
gives students the options to still go out to the bars but eliminates the
guessing game of who is driving home and helps reduce drunk driving amongst
students.
Campus rides
offers service to Durham, Dover, Newmarket and Portsmouth on Thursday, Friday,
and Saturday from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. and suggests a tip of $2-$3 per person in
the van. Due to popular request, campus
rides will begin operating on Tuesday nights from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. on November
12. Services can be requested at (603)
545-6641.
New the
previous weekend, campus rides began accepting credit/debit card tips so
students do not have to worry about carrying cash on them.
Campus Rides
and the UNH police have no affiliation.
UNH Police also had no comment about Campus Rides.
Kevin Hardman,
frequent rider and UNH graduate, said that campus rides is more reliable than
safe rides and is a cheap option for getting to and from the bar. He often takes campus rides to and from the
Cottages.
One of the main
differences between campus rides and safe rides is Campus Rides is a taxi
service. According to the University
Transportation Services (UTS) website safe rides is a program for UNH students
who drove their car to a social gathering/event and need a sober ride
home. Safe rides is a backup plan in
case the designated driver is not sober, it is not a taxi service. “Safe Rides should be treated as a backup
plan to deliver people home safely,” states the UTS website, “and should not be
monopolized for other uses.” Safe rides
is also free because the student transportation fee covers the cost.
From being
unknown to one of the most popular transportation services on campus, campus
rides has made itself a name to UNH students.
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