Those of us who live in and around Georgetown’s campus appreciate the usefulness of SafeRides. Whether it’s walking home late at night after studying or returning home after a night out, SafeRides is a safe and convenient way to get to our destination.

But despite its usefulness in theory to students, SafeRides can be less than reliable and a headache to use. DPS’s recent announcement about the creation of a SafeRides feature within the LiveSafe app, however, is a step in improving the effectiveness of the SafeRides system.

Calling SafeRides, only to be told that a shuttle may arrive in 20 minutes at a dimly lit street corner in Burleith, is neither a safe nor functional solution to our problems. This new feature allows for both increased safety and reliability, which should be the two main tenets of the SafeRides system.

With the update will be a transition period, and it is crucial that SafeRides remains cognizant of other potential improvements. A better system for alerting riders when the car is near, and improved communication between the driver and rider are crucial to making SafeRides a more useful service.

Although this new update should bring about a safer experience overall, it also needs to be accompanied by an overall improvement in the efficiency of the system.

Georgetown, on average, is a safe place to live, but there is no doubt that a faster and more accessible SafeRides service is an improvement for students in a neighborhood in which crime is not rampant but nevertheless existent.