Students Speak Out About Uncomfortable 8-Rides

Four years ago, Shreya Bhagi  — then a first-year living in Campion Hall — said she utilized 8-Ride, a Loyola-operated transportation service offering free rides to students around campus. After stepping into her first ride, her expectations of a safe, quick journey were anything but the reality. 

Harsh driving, unexpected U-turns and disregard of pedestrians left Bhagi questioning the service and her safety during the five-minute trip.

After her negative experience with 8-Ride, Bhagi, the Chief Diversity Officer for students in Student Government, realized she wasn’t alone. Conversations with fellow Student Government members and other student organizations revealed similar stories of discomfort, confirming her experiences with 8-Ride were shared amongst others on campus.

“There were many times where it was a lot of inappropriate behavior and language that was racially discriminating,” Bhagi, now a fourth-year bioinformatics student, said. “There was also a lot of fetishizing behavior that made a lot of people very uncomfortable.”

8-Ride services are expected to be short rides across campus where students don’t have to worry about feeling unsafe or alone, especially at night, Bhagi said. Despite this, 8-Ride drivers overstep boundaries, going as far as asking where students live and pressing for details about their personal lives, according to Bhagi.

Currently, safety measures on each 8-Ride include tracked trips through the Tripshot app and nightly inspections of vehicles prior to service. Each 8-Ride van is equipped with an on-demand camera system on the front windshield, according to the Senior Manager of Campus Transportation Gretchen Carey.

The problem doesn’t only affect on-campus students, but also local commuters who may depend on 8-Ride for their transportation from home to campus. Commuters reported to Bhagi that 8-Rides have unreliable ETA’s and wait times up to 45 minutes. 

“There were students waiting outside alone in the dark not knowing who might come at them in the middle of Chicago,” Bhagi said.

Ella Schechter, a second-year nursing student who commutes, utilized 8-Ride with two of her friends earlier this semester. She requested a ride in Little India on West Devon Avenue, one of the farthest pick up spots in the 8-Ride 10-mile radius. 

“The ride was supposed to take 30 minutes and then it kept getting delayed, so we were waiting for an hour and a half,” Schechter said.

During this time, Schenchter witnessed two 8-Ride’s getting gas near the station they were waiting by. Despite asking both vehicles for a ride, the two drivers refused.

“If there’s a van where students are, they should fix the algorithm of 8-Ride,” Schechter said.

While waiting for 8-Rides, female students reported to Bhagi they were followed by non-Loyola affiliated individuals. Without access to university buildings after certain hours, students were left helpless and frustrated, wondering when their 8-Ride would arrive, Bhagi said.

“It’s supposed to be your resources that’s convenient, free and safe, but that’s clearly not happening,” Bhagi said.

Liz Piro, a fifth-year exercise science student, said she lives half a mile away from campus and relies on 8-Ride as a source of transportation. Her 8-Ride would routinely arrive 10-20 minutes off-schedule. When checking the location of her 8-Ride, Piro said the ride wouldn’t be moving.

“I’ve also had an experience where I was dropped off a couple blocks away from where I live randomly,” Piro said. “I wasn’t paying attention and I was like, ‘This is unfortunate because now I have to walk around the block.’”

This past week, Bhagi, and members of SGLC and other registered student organizations decided the issues with 8-Ride should be made clear to Loyola, saying students deserve to voice their experiences.

Bhagi said she hopes to launch an initiative to improve the utilization of 8-Rides for students. In the upcoming weeks, Bhagi will communicate with Carey. Bhagi hopes to partner with the SGLC Campus Life and Operations Committee to voice student complaints.

The main improvement Bhagi is focused on are the feedback forms on Tripshot. Presently, ride reviews are given to the driver without anonymity of the student.

“It should go directly to the department, not the drivers,” Bhagi said. “What if you left a bad review because that’s not what you thought would happen, and next time you 8-Ride you get the same driver?”

Carey said she encourages students to speak up as their feedback is critical to making improvements to transportation on campus.

Resources such as the EthicsLine Reporting Hotline allows for anonymous reporting of misconduct and violations of Loyola policies. The CURA network led by the Dean of Students provides support, coordination, case management and research referrals for students, Carey said.

Although Bhagi reported careless driving by 8-Ride drivers, each member has to go through classroom training which includes safety and customer service training as well as on-the-road training behind the wheel of the 8-Ride vehicles, according to Carey.

For students who had similarly negative experiences with 8-Ride, Bhagi encourages them to speak up. Whether through contacting Loyola’s transportation department directly or emailing Bhagi or members of SGLC’s transportation committee, it’s in the students’ hands to form a safer, more reliable service 8-Ride is intended to be, Bhagi said.

“It’s all about putting the priorities of the students and helping them out in any way that I possibly can,” Bhagi said.