VCU news

By Jonsette Calloway
VCU Parking and Transportation

When students, faculty and staff are on campus late at night and looking for a safe ride, one name comes to mind — RamSafe. The popular shuttle service has seen a substantial boost in ride requests since its inception in 2012, becoming one of the nation’s largest providers of point-to-point transportation in a university setting. On Jan. 15, RamSafe received its 500,000th ride request.

RamSafe provides free and safe transportation to on-campus locations and nearby residences and buildings within defined boundaries on the Monroe Park and MCV campuses. The service runs 365 days a year and operates from 5 p.m. until 8 a.m.

Requests for RamSafe service can be made online at ramsafe.vcu.edu, over the phone by calling 828-SAFE, or through the VCU mobile app. Once a request is routed through the system, it is then dispatched to a driver in the field who is assigned to a call based on location. Users are able to track their assigned vehicle and receive notifications once they have been assigned and again when the driver has arrived.

During its first year of operation, the program received 108,635 calls for service. In 2016, nearly 120,000 requests were made, with RamSafe drivers servicing anywhere between 350 to 600 calls on a typical evening. Despite the large volume of requests, RamSafe is able to keep wait times to an average of 15 minutes or less on most nights.

“We are thankful for the hard work of our RamSafe team in reaching 500,000 requests,” said Clayton Harrington, director for Parking and Transportation. “They truly believe in the program’s mission and have shown an unwavering dedication from day one.”

Craig Willingham, transportation and fleet manager, has personally enjoyed watching the program grow and credits the achievement to his great team as well as the VCU community.

“I am proud of our entire RamSafe team for reaching this milestone,” Willingham said. “Our passengers are the reason why the program exists and their support is what continues to make RamSafe successful.”

Though RamSafe is primarily used by students, it is open to employees as well. Chante Holt, a VCU staff member, recognized the value of RamSafe quickly.

“I used RamSafe on my first day at the job,” Holt said. “It was incredibly convenient. It picked me up in front of my West Broad Street office and dropped me off near my car on Madison Street. I would definitely use the service again if the opportunity arose.”

Nicole Marshall, a senior international relations major, agreed.

“RamSafe has saved me in many last-minute scramblings to find a ride home,” she said. “It’s the best thing when you’re the friend without a car and don’t want to risk the walk home.”

RamSafe’s popularity has attracted the attention of other universities, including the University of Virginia, whose representatives visited the operation in 2015 with hope of implementing a similar service.

There are plans to enhance RamSafe in the future. 

“We are looking at opportunities to provide additional resources, in terms of equipment and technology, to satisfy demand and improve the overall customer experience,” Willingham said. “Further program updates will be forthcoming. Until then, RamSafe will continue to service the VCU community — one ride at a time.”

For more information on VCU Parking and Transportation, visit parking.vcu.edu.

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