PTS, SGA Partner to Give Students Free, Safe Ride Home

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 18, 2016) — Student safety is a top priority at the University of Kentucky. Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) and the Student Government Association (SGA) recently joined together to introduce a new transportation option that provides students with a safe ride home. Kentucky Wildcab is a free, late night, on-demand transportation option for UK students, provided by SGA and operated by PTS using 4-, 6- and 14-passenger vehicles.

"This service allows students to make an informed, responsible transportation decision late at night when there are a number of different options. We want to make sure they are choosing one that is safe for them," said Lance Broeking, director of Parking and Transportation Services.

In its eight weekends of operation, Kentucky Wildcab has provided 1,313 rides to 3,556 passengers and traveled more than 4,000 miles.

"The service has been really popular with the students so far. Our numbers have increased almost every weekend since we started. On our peak days, we've been giving about 230 rides per night," said Sandra Broadus, PTS alternative transportation coordinator.

The on-demand service operates from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and serves the entire campus area as well as some surrounding areas frequented by students.

"During our initial discussions with Student Government, we spent a lot of time talking about the service area to make sure that whatever we offered this fall was going to meet the needs of the students," Broeking said. "So we're serving all the areas in the surrounding campus vicinity that are frequented by students — including the downtown area, the Red Mile area and the eastern part of campus as well."

Ross Boggess, SGA Kentucky Wildcab coordinator, says the service differs in many ways from other on-demand transportation services like Uber and Lyft.

"Our service is different from Uber and Lyft because it's free, you're riding in a university vehicle and that vehicle is operated by a UK student just like you," Boggess said.

To request a ride, students can download the Transloc Rider mobile app on their smartphone from the App Store or Google Play. From the app, students can request a ride by clicking the on-demand icon (as shown below) in the bottom left corner of the screen (the icon will be blue when the service is in operation and will be gray when Kentucky Wildcab is not in operation).

The first time a user requests a ride, they must log on using their Link Blue credentials. From there, the user should select their pick-up location by moving the green pointer on the map or entering the address then press the green "Select Pickup Location" button. The user should then select a drop-off location by moving the red pointer on the map or entering the address then press the red "Select Drop Off Location" button. The user should then select the number of passengers and confirm their ride request. They will then receive text confirmation of their request with an estimate pick-up time.

For more information about Kentucky Wildcab, visit www.uky.edu/KentuckyWildcab. If you are a student and wish to apply to become a Kentucky Wildcab driver, you may fill out the application here.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Blair Hoover, 859-257-6398, blair.hoover@uky.edu