Regulations & Policies
Safe Ride will only perform pick-ups and drop-offs at certain locations and within pre-defined boundaries. For more information, visit Coverage Area .
There are also regulations and etiquette that pertain to receiving a Safe Ride. Students agree to these policies when they request a ride - the University is able to deny a ride if these policies are not being honored.
Regulations & Policies
Safe Ride is a safety service not a taxi.
- Safe Ride will only serve private rides. This means that you will not share a ride with other students unless you are booking in the same party as +1 types.
- We allow a maximum of three students from the same booking in one vehicle.
- Before boarding the van, students are required to show a cleared for campus screen in their symptom tracker app to drivers. Please follow this link to learn more about the symptom tracker app.
- You may not eat or drink in the Safe Ride vehicle.
- Safe Ride will not accept advance reservations, all rides are dispatched on a first-come, first-serve basis.
- Safe Ride doesn't allow scheduled destinations to be changed after being picked-up.
- Safe Ride will not transport you beyond our transportation boundaries.
- Safe Ride will not provide rides for less than 3 blocks.
- Safe Ride will only provide rides that have a drop-off or pick-up located on Northwestern's Evanston campus.
- Safe Ride will not schedule rides that result in a wait time in excess of 90 mins.
- You must be on time for your pickup, other passengers are waiting so your car cannot wait more than two minutes.
- Safe Ride reserves the right to refuse service in situations that place our driver partners or other passengers in danger. Examples of this may include intoxicated, disorderly or abusive passengers.
- Safe Ride will charge $100.00 if a passenger vomits in a Safe Ride vehicle to cover the cost of cleaning the vehicle.
- Safe Ride does not provide medical transport. If you need an ambulance please use one, for less serious medical problems please see Northwestern's policy on Medical Transport of Students.
Regarding COVID-19 Safety Measures
These days, a safe ride means so much more than simply arriving at your destination without incident. We're going long on safety to make certain that the next ride you take is as safe and worry-free as possible.Here are a few safety measures we’ve put in place:
- We’re using in-app wellness checks to make sure riders and drivers are symptom-free and ready to ride before they get going — please stay home if you have either been diagnosed with COVID-19, think you’re exhibiting symptoms, or have been in contact with someone who has recently tested positive.
- All rides will be single rider only.
- While we manage vehicle capacity in accordance with local guidelines, we’d love your help — please avoid sitting in the seat immediately adjacent to the driver. Always enter through the rear doors, and in vehicles with automatic doors, please wait for the driver to open and close the door to avoid touching the handles.
- Everyone on board will be required to wear a mask or face covering, so think of your mask as your favorite new accessory, the one you can’t leave the house without. If you forget it, your driver can refuse to pick you up.
- Before boarding a safe ride vehicle, students have to show driver partners a “Cleared for Campus” indicator on the Northwestern Symptom Tracker app. If you do not have a smartphone, students must show a print out of the “Cleared for Campus” indicator from the symptom tracker web site.
- We’re increasing the frequency of professional vehicle cleanings and are making EPA-approved cleaning supplies available to drivers and advising them to perform frequent and thorough wipedowns of the entire interior, with extra focus on common surfaces. We’re also installing plastic partitions in all vehicles.