As the Student Nighttime Auxiliary Patrol prepares to become an application-only-based system, SNAP users at UF without a smartphone might find themselves waiting outside for a very long time.
The SNAP UF app, available for download on iOS and Android, went live last month and will be replacing the RideCell system SNAP is currently using.
University Police officer Gregory Castronover said after the transition is complete, the only two ways to request a ride will be through the SNAP UF app or by calling 352-392-7627.
With the RideCell system, students can call and speak with dispatch or use the automated phone service, and a computer will call students when their rides are ready. However, non-smartphone users will no longer have the ability to receive notifications or track the van that has been assigned to them.
“So, if you don’t have a smartphone, then basically, as soon as you make your request, you have to sort of stand out in the road and wait, and you don’t know how long it’s going to be,” Castronover said.
The van will wait two minutes at the destination point, as it has in the past, but without access to the app, users will not receive any notification their van is there or that it waited for them.
Ashley Armbruster said the new system is easy for people with smartphones.
“You just use your Gatorlink to log in, and you can track your van through it and don’t have to worry about missing a call because the notifications pop up on our app,” the UF athletic training junior said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have the capability to notify people who don’t have smartphones. So, that’s a really big downfall to the system because not the entire population has smartphones.”
Kyle Rodriguez said he thinks the new system is inconvenient.
“Even when they did call you and said the driver was on his way, you had to wait a while in the first place,” said the 19-year-old UF sustainability and the built environment sophomore.
Totuit, the company that developed the app, is aware of the issues and concerns of students who do not own a smartphone. Castronover said the company is working on an upgrade to the program that will allow a text message or a phone call to notify students their van has arrived.
“Part of the problem is it’s a very small percentage of the student population that doesn’t have smartphones,” Castronover said.
The SNAP app provides users an easier way to request a ride, shows where their van is on a map and gives an estimated time of arrival.
“It’s really much more functional,” Castronover said. “It’s super, super quick and super, super easy — three clicks and done.”
