Cats Cab provides safe, free alternative for students
September 3, 2013
Kernel Editorial
It estimates that Al’s Bar on North Limestone Street is 34 minutes away, and that The Pub on Mall Road is 1 hour, 25 minutes away for those with enough shoe tread.
That can be a problem for any student group without a designated driver that may want to go somewhere other than — the usually student packed — Two Keys or Tin Roof.
Student groups in such a situation wanting to go to The Pub can spend 3 hours walking, or pay for a cab, two unsavory options.
Enter Cats Cab, which will take anyone with a UK student ID, and a friend, to any residential location inside New Circle Road … for free.
Although there may be a long wait to use the service once it starts up later this week because there will only be five vans available, the service is much needed.
In the past, UK hasn’t proven to be a particularly dangerous campus, and it has just seen a $5 million dollar security overhaul.
But student safety is still a concern and Cats Cab should do wonders in preventing students from all sorts of potential troubles.
The service, which will run Thursday through Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m., will allow students to make a responsible choice on how to get home without paying out of their textbook and food (OK, beer) funds.
Beyond possibly decreasing the number of drunk driving around town, the service may also limit the number of muggings of students, as some who would otherwise choose to walk for 30 minutes or more to get home will probably call for a free cab instead.
Our only hope is that with so few cabs operating under what will probably be high demand they won’t have to wait too long, and that, if they do, UK will hire more vans to accommodate.
After all, the Cats Cab is saving the administration $70,000 by replacing the partially Student Government-funded Cats Cruiser program with Cats Cab, which is completely funded by SG.
The money is there to expand and refine the program, should it need it, and it should be used to do so if necessary.
For now though, it might be worthy of a toast that UK students have a valuable and viable alternative to irresponsible ways of getting home.
