New apps help students move around campus

By Quanecia Fraser—

Multimedia Journalist

Parking services is offering two new apps that students can use to track shuttle routes and request rides to on-campus locations.

Students taking the shuttle during the day can download DoubleMap and select ‘Tarleton State University.’ The app shows shuttle routes and pick-up locations. Students can also see the current shuttle’s movement in real time.

“A student may be over at the baseball lot and say ‘Oh, there’s a shuttle heading toward me. Instead of starting my trek to class, I’ll wait a few minutes (for the shuttle)’,” explained Kasey Brown, the program director of parking services.

Brown explained that there are normally two shuttles available during the day.

From 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., students can use the TapRide app to request and track shuttle rides to other locations on campus. Brown says that TapRide is a lot like Uber and Lyft.

Abigail Farrer, a first-year agricultural communications major, said she’s only taken the shuttle once.

“I’ve called the shuttle service like, three or four times… and they just don’t show up. And it gets to the point where I’m like you know ‘well, I’d just rather walk because it’d be faster’,” said Farrer.

Farrer even considered moving off campus because of her troubles with the shuttle service, as well as not being comfortable with having to walk long distances across campus by herself.

“I have an off-campus job and I get home at 9:30 or 10:00 at night, and making that walk from the baseball fields to my dorm is a long, scary one to do alone,” she said.

But with these new shuttle apps being offered, Farrer says she’d “be more than happy to stay on campus”, since she can quickly find a ride and not have to wonder if the shuttle is on its way.

Brown says that students tell her they now feel safer about getting around campus at night.

“They can just pull out their phone and request a ride. (TapRide) gives an ETA(estimated time of arrival) when the driver will be there and also alerts them on when the driver has reached the destination,” said Brown.

Farrer says she feels that these two apps will improve the efficiency of the shuttle services, and “is a really positive thing and moves everything in the right direction.”

For more information about Tarleton’s shuttle service or the DoubleMap and TapRide apps, go to: https://www.tarleton.edu/parking/shuttle-routes.html