Loss of Rebel Ride Still Giving Students Problems

With Rebel Ride suspended indefinitely, drinking and driving is becoming a more prevalent problem.

 College towns are filled with drinking of all kinds, from young to old. What college towns are also filled with are drunk drivers. In the past, The University of Mississippi has provided a safe option for students to get to and from the bars without having to drive or pay for a taxi. In October of 2013 this privilege was taken from students leaving many with thinking at times that they had no other options than to drive after drinking. This is dangerous for the driver, passengers in the car, also pedestrians and other drivers.

Rebel Ride showing that it is no longer in service. Picture from theDMonline.

            A few nights ago, a student was driving home from the bars and accidentally hit a car. A cop saw the incident and pulled the student over. She was arrested and charged with a DUI. Eleanor Schutte was at the scene of the crime, and when asked about what happened, she thought this could have easily been avoided had we still had Rebel Ride. “What happened the other night was really sad, but could have been avoided so easily. I know that there are other options thank driving after drinking, but Rebel Ride always made that easier for students and they did not have to think. I hope for the best with the Rebel Ride situations, and I hope that one day Ole Miss will have a safe ride option once again.” 

The students car the day after the incident, minimal damage, but could have been prevented if there was a safe ride options for the student who drove.

            Davis Rogers, the newly elected ASB president, ran his campaign on three platforms he wanted to hit, one of them being Rebel Ride. “Rebel Ride has been inactive due to legal issues concerning the past company over the past two semesters. Our goal is to stabilize Rebel Ride and in its transition phase to the student-led Safe Ride Committee. By the end of the semester, I will aid this committee to get Rebel Ride up and running so that it will continue to benefit the safety of the student body.” Alexandra Presley helped with Davis Rogers campaign, and thinks that Rogers’s idea to bring Rebel Ride back was a huge contributing factor as to why he won the election. “I believe that his idea to try and have a student-led committee to bring Rebel Ride back was genius, I think that the students have the initiative and need for the safe ride service, so they will be the ones to get it done.” With all the incidents and students wanting Rebel Ride back, there is still hope that one day the Ole Miss campus will be filled with the wonderful busses again.