Students say rudeness, delays problematic

Students who use SafeRide have said they deal with rude dispatchers and occasional long waits.

Many students who had complaints about SafeRide said that while the drivers were pleasant and the service was reliable, the dispatchers were either abrupt or disrespectful on the phone.

"When I used it, they were really rude," said engineering freshman Stacey Rittmueller.

Another student agreed.

"Some of the girls that work there·think they rule the world," said undeclared freshman Jen Erdman.

Erdman and her friends use the escort service every day in the wake of several recent sexual assaults and attempted sexual assaults near the Univresty of Arizona campus, she said.

SafeRide Director Craig Haubrich said students came to him earlier in the year to report problems with service, but those problems have been dealt with and individual dispatchers had been disciplined.

However, Haubrich occasionally has his friends call SafeRide to test the service, and they have not reported any problems, he said.

"This is definitely kind of alarming to me," Haubrich said, adding that he will hold a staff meeting to address the issue.

But SafeRide driver James Suibielski said that students calling for rides can also be rude.

"We try to be as patient as we can," he said.

A SafeRide dispatcher said that she wasn't aware of any problems.

"I really don't know anybody who's rude who's on dispatch," said dispatcher Kelly Frankel.

Some students also said they have had problems with long waits, and Haubrich said he received two complaints of people who have waited 30 minutes for a ride.

"Sometimes it takes a really long time for them to come, but they are very reliable, and we use them every night," said undeclared freshman Megan Stein.

Stein said she has occasionally waited 15-20 minutes for SafeRide transportation.

Suibielski said that such waits are rare, but are unavoidable in peak times, such as when many students get out of chapter meetings in fraternities and sororities at once, and all need a ride.

Twelve drivers operate three SafeRide cars at a given time. The service's van is out of use because one of its doors has fallen off, but other vehicles are substituting.

Those who call SafeRide are usually picked up within four to six minutes, Suibielski said.