The Zimride program coming to Syracuse University is a beneficial addition to the campus as it provides more transportation options for students, reduces the community’s carbon footprint and increases parking space.

Zimride, a ride-sharing program used on more than 100 campuses across the country including Cornell University and Stanford University, came to SU in late March. So far, 20 students have signed up for the program.

In 2011, SU attempted to implement its own online carpooling service, along with a rideshare board placed in the Schine Student Center. Students could post where they needed to go, either online or on the board, in the hopes that another student with a car could pick them up.

SU’s own service failed in 2011, because it was “not efficient,” according to a March 31 press release from the school. While that service never took off, it is positive that SU is making another attempt at implementing a rideshare program on campus.

With many undergraduates without a car ­— including the majority of the freshman class living on campus, which SU prohibits from having a car— there is a significant need for this kind of service.

Unlike the SU-provided service, Zimride provides profiles of the drivers, showing information including the driver’s car, his or her usual driving speed, average music volume and smoking preferences. It also allows potential passengers to get in contact with the driver to improve trust between the two groups.

This program would be helpful for students in multiple situations, from short trips to the grocery store to long interstate drives back home during breaks. By promoting a rideshare service, Zimride has the potential to lower the amount of students commuting and reducing the amount of parking spaces need — which is currently around 10,000, Scot Vanderpool, manager of parking and transit services, said in an email.

 

It helps that SU decided to reach out to a third party company to take charge of this initiative, because SU was unable to create an organized system itself. Because Zimride is a reputable rideshare service, students will be more inclined to use it. Zimride also has much better resources to carry out this service, as indicated by the 125 other campuses that already utilize the program.

 

Students need a rideshare program. It is positive that the university outsourced the program when it determined it was not able to sustain its own.

Published on April 8, 2014 at 1:13 am