By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

Safe Ride reached a record this year by  safely transporting nearly 25,000 people to their destinations in 2014 — an increase of nearly 4,000 riders in 2013.

Mike Ashcraft, one of the founding board members of Safe Ride, attributes the increase to an endowment from the Student Government Association at Fort Hays State University providing funds to operate a second Safe Ride van on Friday nights.

Ashcraft said the extra van eliminated a lot of “refusals” to take the Safe Ride due to a long wait time.

“(The extra van) also made a safer situation for the riders by limiting the number of people we had in each van, so we could transport people more efficiently, more safely  and get (the riders) home without any trouble,” he said.

Safe Ride is a free service providing transportation for anyone within city limits Wednesday through  Saturday from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Ashcroft said another “remarkable” increase was seen in 2013 when the city of Hays donated funds from fines paid by driving under the influence violators — extra funds that went toward adding a second Safe Ride van on Saturdays in 2013.

Safe Ride started in 2006 with just 8,582 transports.

However, Ashcraft said if it were not for the funds from the city of Hays and FHSU’s SGA, there likely would be no Safe Ride. Each year, he said, the board operates on a “precarious budget” and barely breaks even.

For more information, click HERE.

To donate to Safe Ride, contact Ashcraft at (785) 625-2578 or FHSU’s Kelley Center (785) 628-4401.