Nite Ride will soon have a vehicle that is accessible to individuals with disabilities.
By Kayli Reese
The Nite Ride service at the University of Iowa keeps expanding and will do so again soon.
After the recent inclusion of Nite Ride service to all genders, a new vehicle accessible to wheelchair-bound individuals and others with disabilities will be brought to campus as well.
“The details are being worked through,” said David Ricketts, the director of UI Parking and Transportation.
The vehicle, a specialized van called MV1, has already had a purpose at the UI. Ricketts said Fleet Services, a branch of UI Parking and Transportation, has put the vehicle in use during the day. However, he said, the van has not been used in the past for a scheduled, specific use until now.
Before the MV1 was an option for Nite Ride, he said, a bionic bus was provided by the UI as a means of transportation for individuals with disabilities. It could be called through Cambus for individuals who needed it.
Other options for people with disabilities have been a Nite Ride driver staying with the person until an officer could assist them.
Ricketts said Parking and Transportation didn’t have a solution to the wheelchair-accessible vehicle needed for Nite Ride until last year. When the Transportation Department offered the MV1, he said, Nite Ride readily accepted.
Jonathan Ron, the security division supervisor at the UI Department of Public Safety, said the need for a wheelchair-accessible Nite Ride has not been a pressing issue in the past.
“We would call a police officer if the need came up,” he said.
UI police Officer Alton Poole, a crime-prevention specialist, noted the need wasn’t there; not many calls came in for that purpose.
In the past, he said, officers would make sure an individual in a wheelchair would still have a reliable option for returning home. When a person requested a ride, the department would send someone out to ensure that he or she reached their destination in a safe manner, Poole said. Sometimes, this has even involved officers walking home with people late at night.
Poole said the reason for including the MV1 as a Nite Ride option is because of recent concern expressed from the community about safe options for wheelchair-bound individuals late at night.
Ron said Nite Ride is now doubling its ridership with the inclusion of all genders to the service, and more vehicles have been needed to meet the demand. Within the past year, a second bus had been used under Nite Ride for this purpose.
UI police contacted Cambus when the need for a wheelchair-accessible vehicle came up. They and Cambus have worked to meet this request, he said.
Poole said drivers are currently still being trained to operate the new van to ensure that they can properly maneuver the ramp in it.
The MV1 should be in the Nite Ride rotation within days, Ron said. As soon as the training is completed, the vehicle will be a part of the Cambus service.
“We’ll do whatever it takes to keep people safe,” Poole said.
