A technology boost makes safe riding a snap.
Student Nighttime Auxiliary Patrol became a little more high-tech on July 20.
The upgrade included an automated answering system, a Web-based request system and a tablet PC installed in every van that includes a GPS. The tablet also allows calls to be dispatched via touch screen instead of a radio like before.
According to Officer Gregory Castronover, the SNAP coordinator in the Community Service Division of the University Police, the new system has decreased wait times and increased ridership because all request are put into the system.
"If 500 people called, all 500 calls could be answered," he said.
Before, he said, if a lot of people called, they might have to be put on hold due to lack of staff. The new system allows 100 percent of phone calls to be put into the system.
Callers now get a robotic voice instead of a live dispatcher. For students like Diana Martinez, 23, who didn't know SNAP upgraded its technology, it was a shock.
"I didn't know that there were any changes," she said. "That voice isn't very friendly."
The new phone system recognizes phone numbers as well, Castronover said. It knows if it's your first time calling and stores a rider's previous requests to make placing calls more efficient.
He also said he hopes the new technology will encourage riders to place calls on the Web-based system.
iPhone and Android applications will be developed in two to three weeks, he said.
SNAP also plans to paint the service's website on the van and handout business cards to every rider to better advertise the new online services.
The Samsung Tablet PC has made SNAP more efficient because of the GPS system. Vans can now be dispatched based on location.
"We know where every van is always," Castronover said.
He said the system also allows for more detailed tracking and reporting. Data like high-traffic locations on campus and busiest calling times will be collected and analyzed to better serve the UF campus.
Castronover said he did not know the cost of the actual system. He said the not "cheap" but not "outrageous" project was funded by Student Government.
He admits that the system has had some bugs and kinks that needed to be worked out, but RideCell, the company where the technology came from, has been great at fixing problems.
So far the system is "running flawlessly" he said.
To request a ride or an escort contact SNAP via telephone at 352-392-SNAP (7627). The service runs from 8:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. in the summer and 6:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. during the fall and spring semesters.
