Getting around a campus the size of Texas State University can be difficult, especially after hours. To provide students with nighttime transportation that’s safe, efficient, and cost-free, University Police Department has worked to improve its Bobcat Safe Rides program.
Bobcat Safe Rides launched in fall 2024 as a refreshed version of previous campus transportation services. The student-run program offers rides seven days a week to TXST students from on-campus locations to destinations both on campus and off campus.
In its first semester, the service carried more than 15,000 riders, doubling the number of riders from previous services. With its nighttime hours, Bobcat Safe Rides provides an option that’s available after the Bobcat Shuttle closes for the day.
“We very much see it as a safety resource,” says Cat Hoyt, UPD alternative program coordinator. “We’re helping decrease crimes that could happen at night, and we’re making sure that our students get to and from places safely, especially if they’re by themselves.”
Bobcat Safe Rides runs 8 p.m.–2 a.m. Monday to Wednesday; 8 p.m.–3 a.m. Thursday to Saturday; and 8 p.m.–12 a.m. Sunday. Students request rides through the Safe Rides app, and they must present their Bobcat Card at the time of pick-up.
Hoyt says most of the riders are students who need transportation from the library or academic buildings to their residence halls or off-campus housing. The service also ferries riders to retail shops, the grocery store, or to and from remote campus parking lots. The service will not drop students off at the downtown square, bars, events, or known party locations. It will also not pick up students from off-campus locations.
Student workers operate the program, serving as drivers, navigators, dispatchers, and lead workers. For safety purposes, each driver is accompanied by a navigator who handles the ride app and directions. Each car also has a UPD police radio, and student workers are trained in first aid and CPR.
The program employs golf carts, passenger vehicles, and two vans. Hoyt attributes the increase in ridership to an expanded fleet of vehicles, increased student staffing, and UPD’s efforts to get the word out at places such as new student orientation.
“It’s so awesome to see the student workers growing and the love they have for the program,” Hoyt says. “The students we have working for us are fantastic, amazing students. We would not be able to do without them.”