<p>One of the things admissions talked up to us was SafeRide. You need to be aware that there seems to be serious problems with this service. See [Welcome</a> to Facebook](<a href=“Facebook - log in or sign up”>Facebook - log in or sign up)</p>
<p>Dear Friends,</p>
<p>In light of the recent scary emails about attacks, and the fact that many of us have experienced SafeRide as an unreliable service, WILL YOU JOIN US IN REACHING OUT TO UCHICAGO’S TRANSPORTATION SERVICE? The more of us who participate, the more likely we are to see a favorable change.</p>
<p>Below is the email I sent; feel free to add in your own experience, or just send a short and sweet one with the request at the end.
…
Forward this to your fellow students!!</p>
<hr>
<p>SEND TO: <a href=“mailto:bus@uchicago.edu”>bus@uchicago.edu</a>; <a href=“mailto:mclynch@uchicago.edu”>mclynch@uchicago.edu</a></p>
<p>Subject: SafeRide Petition</p>
<hr>
<p>Marlon C. Lynch
Associate Vice President for Safety & Security and Chief of Police</p>
<p>Dear Mr. Lynch:</p>
<p>I am writing to you as a student at University of Chicago concerned for my safety. Many of my friends and I have experienced concerns with SafeRide, and in light of the recent security alerts about attacks on and near campus, I am writing to express this concern. </p>
<p>[YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE CAN GO BELOW, IF YOUD LIKE. IF NOT, YOU CAN DELETE MINE AND JUST INCLUDE THE ABOVE AND THE END!]</p>
<p>Here are the incidents I have personally experienced:</p>
<p>On one occasion in late September, my roommate and I called SafeRide from Crerar Library and were told that we should leave immediately, as the shuttle would be arriving very soon. After waiting 15 minutes, we called again and were told to wait, as it was very close. After waiting a total of 25+ minutes, we gave up and walked.</p>
<p>On another occasion in late October, I called SafeRide to pick up a friend from my home at 4am for a drop-off across Hyde Park (from 54th Street to 60th Street); however, the phone rang continuously without any response. I called again, only to reach a voicemail that said to call during operating hours, before 6am (my call was obviously being made during operating hours); the next time I called, someone answered with Please hold; however, no one returned to the phone for 4+ minutes, at which point I hung up. </p>
<p>In addition, many of my friends told me that SafeRide either takes over 30 minutes to arrive, doesnt show at all, or that no one even picks up the phone when they attempt to call them. This contributes to my hesitance to call SafeRide at all, as I know I can expect extreme delays and a likelihood that I will end up standing on a dark corner waiting for the SafeRide itself; because of this expectation, I often just hold onto my mace (obviously insufficient against an attack by 7 people, as recently occurred) and walk by myself.</p>
<p>[BE SURE TO INCLUDE THIS PART BELOW!]</p>
<p>I am sure you can appreciate that, as a student, I am concerned that this service, paid for with our student fees, does not sufficiently address our very serious safety concerns. Therefore, I write to request that more dispatchers, drivers, and SafeRide shuttles be added to the service so that all students can expect:</p>
<ol>
<li>To have any call made during SafeRides operating hours answered within one minute, and</li>
<li>To have SafeRide arrive when promised by the dispatcher.</li>
</ol>
<p>Thank you for your attention to this serious matter.</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p>(students name)</p>