Two N.C. State students have created a new service intended to allow students to travel around campus safely.
Tomer Shvueli, a senior in computer science, and Arjun Aravindan, a junior in computer science, started NCSU CampusCruizer to help students stay safe while traveling campus late at night.
“We mainly created this service to help students get across campus late at night and avoid major safety issues, such as drinking and driving or muggings,” Aravindan said.
Shvueli said CampusCruizer generally runs from Wednesday to Sunday night and is the busiest during the weekends.
According to Aravindan, CampusCruizer works by having drivers purchase a Cruizer Coin, which puts them into the directory so they can receive calls from people who need a ride.
“Drivers purchase a Cruizer Coin from us, and what that does is put the driver information into the system, where we put them into contact with people who need rides,” Aravindan said.
Aravindan said the drivers receive three Cruizer Coins for free on a trial basis, and each coin lasts for eight hours; however, if the drivers get no calls during that period, they get their coin back.
“Once the trial period ends, the driver can decide whether they want to continue with the service, and then they start paying CampusCruizer for the Cruizer Coins,” Aravindan said.
Shvueli said when a customer calls CampusCruizer, he or she is directed through a dispatcher system to the next available driver.
“The way it works is that we have a dispatcher system that contacts the drivers, and you can also request a specific driver when you call,” Shvueli said.
Aravindan said drivers assume full responsibility for their car and have the right to decide who they let into the car.
According to Shvueli, drivers make money based off tips they receive from students, and there are suggested tip amounts depending on the distance to the destination.
“Typically, the suggested tip amount per person is $3 if it is a short distance, and $4 if the destination is somewhere farther, such as downtown,” Shvueli said.
Shvueli said drivers can make a significant amount of money through CampusCruizer, and several drivers have made more than $100 in a single night.
Shvueli also said, as of right now, CampusCruizer has a total of 10 registered drivers and 180 registered users.
The main purpose of the project was to offer cheap and friendly rides to students across campus, according to Aravindan.
“Using CampusCruizer is cheaper than cabs, where the drivers make some money, and people can get to campus safely,” Aravindan said. “Essentially it’s a service for students by students.”
Shvueli said the business venture took off this summer when he began development on the website, and Aravindan created an iPhone app that also could be used to register users.
Shvueli said he initially got the idea from a similar system that is used at Appalachian State University, but CampusCruizer expanded on the idea by making it significantly easier for drivers and customers to be in contact.
Aravindnan said CampusCruizer plans on adding another aspect to the project by allowing customers to pay through the iPhone application.
