The University of Aberdeen and Robert Gordon University have rolled out a new initiative allowing students studying in the city to call taxis even if they don't have enough money to pay for it on the spot.
The new "safe taxi scheme" allows students to simply give over their student cards before the journey, giving them the flexibility to pay later and get home safely. Aberdeen is the second city in the UK to roll the scheme out across the entire student population.
How it works:
- Students reserve a taxi with Rainbow Taxis.
- At the end of the journey, customers give their student cards to the driver and get a receipt in return.
- Students then buy back their student cards at the cost of the taxi fare from the Students' Union.
- Some wavers exist which can mean in exceptional circumstances customers get the costs paid for.
- The scheme does not work at taxi ranks.
Gordon McKay from Rainbow Taxis said: "We've been in talks with the Unions for two to three weeks.
"We saw that it runs in other cities and we thought with students making up such a large proprtion of the community in Aberdeen, it would be better than walking home. We thought we'd set up a system to stop them having to walk home.
"It's not just about helping drunk students. Some end up in the hospital and need help getting back.
"It's safer than walking home"
Universities who already have the scheme- Leeds Beckett University
- Sheffield Hallam University
- Teeside University
- University of Cambridge, Murray Edwards College
- University of Cardiff
- University of Hull
- University of Glasgow
- University of Leeds
- University of Huddersfield
- University of Manchester
- University of Newcastle
- University of Nottingham
- University of Plymouth
- University of Sheffield
- University of Stirling
- University of Strathclyde
- University of Sunderland
To contact Gordon McKay or the student unions from either of the universities email [email protected]
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