Every month, 1 in 4 university students drive drunk. Drunk - as in over the legal limit drunk. Half of all university students drive after consuming any alcohol.
Regardless of all of the available information, the parental guidance, and the statistics showing how expensive and disastrous driving drunk can be, a full quarter of students still choose to do so every month.
Are there alternatives? Yes, several. Taxis, buses (if any are still running), volunteer DWI programs, walking – all are available. But when it comes to decision time students still choose to drive. Why? Because at the time it seems like the fastest, cheapest and most convenient way to get home. Judgment is impaired, perceived risk is diminished, and students pick the path of least resistance.
So how do you compete with the justification students give themselves? You make the alternative just as fast, cheap and convenient!
uRide provides on-demand car service so reliable and easy to use that students will choose us every time their ability to drive is impaired. Parents create a membership and prefund an account linked to the student’s smartphone. When the student needs a ride they simply open the uRide app, order a car in three taps and track its arrival on their screen. Once the car arrives, the student simply enters their PIN into uRide’s mounted tablet to confirm their identity, and the ride commences. At the destination, the student confirms the transaction amount, and rates their driver and the overall experience if they wish.
uRide simplifies making the responsible decision after a night out on the town. Students have an easy, predictable and free ride. Parents have peace of mind.
With an environmentally friendly fleet made up of the Toyota Prius V, student veterans as drivers, and free app based booking and tracking of vehicles, uRide makes getting home fast, safe, reliable, and easy. Every time.
To date, we've secured financing on our vehicles, planned out our first handful of locations, and are doing everything in our power to get ready for our launch this summer in College Station, TX! Our goal is to partner with universities all over the country to help reduce the number of students drinking and driving. Now here's where you come in.
uRide needs help to get going. We have the know-how, we have the enthusiasm and passion. We just need help with the funding. Our goal of $10,000 is to fund us for the first three months of operations. That $15,000 will cover our rent, insurance, applications, and permit fees, as well as our server costs. Additionally, we'll be able to pay our student-veteran drivers from there as well.
You'll notice I don't mention anything about salaries. That's because uRide's creative team isn't taking any salary. We fully plan on sleeping in the office, and if there's enough funds left over from the 10k, we'll live off of Ramen noodles!
You can help us make a difference. There doesn't need to be any more stories about someone getting wasted and getting in an accident (or worse) on their way home. Every little bit helps.
If you can't donate, you can still help! Follow us on facebook at
www.Facebook.com/uRideTAMU
and twitter
@uRideTAMU
Let people know we're out there!
Thank you from all of us at uRide!