By Staff Writer: Marcos Baltierrez
Students often spend their time socializing with friends, celebrating birthdays or academic success or simply taking a break from the stresses of life. During these outings, some may end up in unsafe situations without a way to get home. That is where Safe Ride comes in
Safe Ride is a designated driver program for students at Eastern New Mexico University. The program provides students with safe transportation back home, whether they are under the influence, don’t feel confident in driving or simply don’t feel safe at night.
Drivers arrive in a custom Safe Ride van that transports up to 9 passengers at a time. Each driver team consists of one male and one female driver, ensuring that the passenger feels comfortable throughout the drive.
Students can request a ride anytime between Thursday at 8 a.m. and Sunday at 11:59 p.m. As long as they are within the city of Portales, Safe Ride services are available to students who can provide their ID number, whether that be their student ID or just a picture of their ID. As long as they have a Student ID number, they can take Safe Ride. Also, each student can have one guest per ride.
Safe Ride is available to all students. Even those who are underage and are under the influence, they can still take Safe Ride. The drivers are trained to maintain the confidentiality of passenger identification and status.
Whether students are leaving a party, returning from a friend’s house or just need a safe way home. Safe Ride aims to provide students with reliable transportation and reduce the risk of driving under the influence. The numbers to contact Safe Ride are 575-607-9995 or 575-607-5999.