MavRides is an organization funded by Colorado Mesa University (CMU) that provides free rides to students so they can get to where they need to go on the weekends. While there are arguments that the service isn’t advantageous to the student body, I believe it is.
There are many ways to take advantage of this amazing service aside from a free ride, including volunteering to be a driver. I have driven for MavRides on multiple occasions and used the service to go to the grocery store as well since I don’t have a car on campus. Given that MavRides is available Thursdays through Saturdays from 9 PM to 3 AM, it’s useful for late-night Walmart trips; however, that isn’t all this service is good for.
The most common way that I have seen MavRides used by fellow Mavs is to stay safe while attending parties. Most students use MavRides as a way to get to and from parties without needing to drink and drive, which can be argued is the main point of MavRides.
The school makes an apparent effort to advertise the service as an alternative to driving under the influence, and in my personal experience that message has gotten through to the student body.
The fact that a bunch of drunkard students actually consider a service provided by the school they attend speaks numbers. Moreover, they trust that service to get them home safe without reporting them to the police or administration which is an impressive gap to bridge. It really speaks to the school’s credibility and ability to connect with its students.
One critique that I have about the MavRides program is the limited information about the program on the school’s website. There is a limit to the distance the drivers are allowed to travel to pick up or drop people off, but there is no way of knowing that unless you volunteer and drive yourself, or call and ask yourself.
Regardless, they are a well-run service, and the fact that the student body uses that service so frequently shows it’s a valuable service the school should keep for years to come.
