SAFEwalk services has been informed that Associated Students of Madison will not be funding the unlimited SAFEride cab rides home for staff members at night anymore.
SAFEwalk supervisor Troy Ruland was informed last week his SAFEwalk staff will not be offered the unlimited service of cab rides and if the service, which is included in their policy, is to be continued, it will have to be funded from another source.
“ASM has communicated that they aren’t going to pay for more than four cab rides a month anymore — the same amount offered to students on campus,” Ruland said.
He added ASM funds the SAFEride program, while Transportation Services funds SAFEwalk. With this new decision, Transportation Services will start to absorb the cost of any additional cab rides home the staff requests, according to Ruland.
According to SAFEwalk walker Eric Bieganski, the staff works an average of eight to 12 nights per month.
“I generally work at least 12 times a month, and I have been using the cab rides a little more especially after the assault a few weeks ago,” Bieganski said. “I didn’t know about this policy change until recently.”
Ruland said staff found out about the change just this week when they had a meeting. SAFEwalk staff gave their feedback and ideas about the change in where funding will come from.
It is within the policy that staff is provided a ride home after a late night of work, according to Ruland. The switch in funding coming from ASM and moving to Transportation Services was not about budgetary issues, but consistency. For example, Memorial Union workers, or other university workers are not afforded free, unlimited rides home, while SAFEwalk workers were allowed unlimited rides.
SAFEwalk dispatcher Jesse Nelson explained how it made sense, though, for SAFEwalk to have the option of a ride home at night.
“After providing a service for an entire evening to make campus safe, we don’t want that service eliminated for us when we go home,” Nelson said.
According to Ruland, however, the SAFEride program is to be used as a last resort for both the staff and the student body.
“We don’t want to send our staff out at 3 a.m. to walk home, but the cab rides are still a last resort,” Ruland said. “We encourage them to plan appropriately; many of them use the bus, bike or walk to work.”
