Oregon State University Headquarters: Corvallis, Oregon Challenge Meet increasing student demands for SafeRide Increase operating hours; grow service area; and add pickup locations Become a more efficient SafeRide program and increase ridership. Solution Enhance current SafeRide program with TapRide Provide a mobile application that allows OSU students to request a ride Generate reports and access data using TapRide s custom interface Results Average ridership increased by 100 ride requests per day since 2013 Operating hours grew from 7pm-1am to 6pm-3am Streamlined the entire SafeRide program SafeRide s Evolution SafeRide began serving Oregon State University s students in 1989 as a sexual assault prevention service by women, for women. SafeRide has grown immensely to meet OSU students continuing demands. Since 2000, SafeRide has grown to encompass a service that serves all students on the OSU campus, regardless of gender identity or expression; and has added an ADA accessible van for its students. SafeRide has a history of growing to meet the increasing demands of their students at Oregon State. From the mid-1990s until winter of 2013 the SafeRide program operated their service with two vans and staff of 15-20 students. In the winter of 2013, they expanded to three vans, and their staff grew to roughly 25-30 students. In the spring of 2014, they added a fourth van, and grew their staff to 40 students. OSU Expands Operation In the summer of 2014, ASOSU made the decision to grow their service again, but not in total vans. Instead, OSU wanted to add time to their operating hours and to grow their service area and pickup locations. In the summer of 2014, ASOSU issued an RFP to make the SafeRide program more efficient. The main focus was to ultimately have a safer campus and to increase ridership. TapRide submitted a bid for the RFP along with 5+ other companies. ASOSU awarded the RFP to TapRide in the summer of 2014.
Mobile Applications Once TapRide was fully integrated, OSU students could login using their school username/ password or Gmail login, which imported them into a map-based interface to request a ride. Riders could select their pickup and drop-off locations, list the number of riders they are traveling with (including wheelchair options), and request a ride. The mobile applications made the SafeRide program more accessible. This resulted in an enormous jump in ridership. Result: As indicated by the figure below, the average ridership has increased by 100 ride requests per night since the same semester the previous year. Average Ride Requests Per Night 250 FALL 2013 FALL 2014 200 150 100 50 0 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
Notifications TapRide has a unique notification button that works in two ways: 1) Drivers press a digital button labeled honk to notify students they have arrived and 2) Notifications are sent to the students smartphone alerting them that driver has arrived at the requested pickup location. Students were less likely to miss their rides because of the notification, and drivers spent less time waiting for their passengers. This allowed the SafeRide program to become more efficient by reducing wait time for students and drivers. Result: There were 8,802 completed rides and 12,889 total riders serviced between 2013 and 2014. Geolocation TapRide provided OSU students with a geolocation button that is accessible through the mobile application. The geolocation button helped students know exactly where they were on campus. Result: OSU students could see popular pickup locations nearby and were more likely to use the SafeRide program. 3,400+ unique student riders used the program, and the total riders per week increased steadily during the fall term.
Geofencing Real-Time Administrative Display OSU administrators could limit the geographic area(s) where students make ride requests. The SafeRide program became even more efficient by limiting the area drivers had to roam to pick up students. Riders have the ability to request rides from pre-determined pickup/drop-off or hail a ride anywhere within the geofenced area. Result: Administrators eliminated unnecessary requests/pickups and increased pickup locations within the campus using analytics collected from administrative reports. The TapRide dispatcher dashboard provided administrators with a suite of tools to manage their fleet of vehicles, all of which were password-protected. These tools provide an eagle-eye vantage point of all vehicle locations, management capabilities for real-time issue resolution. OSU s administrative platform worked on any office computer and displayed seamless vehicle locations on a map interface in real time. OSU s platform was able to have unlimited users. These users could make edits/ change to current rides. TapRide designed the administrative platform to utilize live mapping Total Riders By Week FIRST OF DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME THANKSGIVING 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
technology. Each individual module gave instant access and control over the entire fleet. Administrators monitored multiple variables simultaneously, including: vehicle locations, driver assignment, and heading every 1-2 seconds. Result: Administrators saw the increased demand for rides through the analytics provided by the administrative reports. To meet the demand, OSU SafeRide expanded operating hours from 7pm-1am to 6pm-3am. Administrative Reports Module OSU administrators have access to the following reports: Specific stop name (Pick up/drop Off Locations) Driver name Average trip time These reports were specific to OSU s needs and helped them improve efficiency by collecting data, which provided analytics that helped them identify the most popular pick-up and dropoff locations. TapRide offers a feature where a student can hail a ride anywhere within the geofenced area. OSU collected mileage data in order to count usage by multiple variable input types. Result: The information that administrators collected allowed them formulate the service costs for students, which came to approximately $1.20/term per student to use SafeRide. White-Label Functionality TapRide s white-label functionality allowed OSU was able to customize its application. As a result, OSU was able to add logos, branding, and coloring to its mobile app. This was specific requirement of OSU.
Results of TapRide Implementation Additional Report and Features OSU s SafeRide program had three goals. The first and most important goal was to make the campus safer. Since implementing TapRide in 2013, the mobile application has made the SafeRide program more accessible, and the average ridership increased by 100 ride requests per day. There have been 8,802 completed rides, 12,889 total riders, 3,400+ unique student riders. The second goal was to grow operating hours and increase pickup locations. Administrators expanded operating hours from 7pm-1am to 6pm-3am and pickup locations increased on campus to meet student demand. The third goal was to become more efficient. OSU s SafeRide program became more efficient by utilizing the administrative reports feature. Administrators had access to analytics that allowed them to determine the most popular pickup/drop-off locations. Overall, the SafeRide program has vastly improved since TapRide s implementation. The program has been so successful that OSU has requested $150,000 in additional funding, which they are set to receive in the next fiscal year. Time Controls (operating hours) Student ID (track student ridership) Inefficiency reports (wait time, canceled rides, etc) Vehicle speed report (Admin) Vehicle ID reports (Admin) Emergency Alarm (Drivers and Administrators) Desktop Requests (Riders) Auto Assignment (Drivers and Dispatch) Enter Phone Number (Riders)