Freebee, the free ride-sharing service on campus, has accumulated 5,500 rides since its launch, nearly 10 times more than its predecessor, SafeRide. Following UM Student Government advocacy, the late-night service has expanded its 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. weekday services to also offer weekend rides.
The transition was driven by collaboration between SG, Parking & Transportation and university administration and is tailored to offer a sustainable solution to late-night transportation.
“Freebee is a perfect example of SG utilizing its position as the ultimate advocate for students to implement changes that directly benefit students,” SG President Roy Carrillo Zamora said. “This is the no-brainer kind of project that SG excels at and that tangibly improves the student experience. I think this is what SG should always focus on.”
In the 2023-2024 academic year, Emmanuel Clemente, the University Affairs Chair at SG at the time, conducted a large-scale student survey and introduced a bill to collaborate with Lyft to provide transportation to and from campus.
Administration rejected the Lyft proposal, so the announcement of a partnership with Freebee at the beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year came as a pleasant surprise to SG members and students.
“The SafeRide program has evolved into Freebee, which the University of Miami Parking and Transportation Department put in place in Fall 2024,” the University of Miami said in a statement to The Hurricane. “Freebee custom designed its service area to cater specifically to students and where they frequent. Rides must either start or end on campus to be eligible for the service.”
Following its launch, students responded positively to the service. Less than two months after the start of the 2024-2025 school year, Freebee had provided 396 rides, more than half of the 559 rides SafeRide provided in 2023.
“I would say I use Freebee once or twice a week,” Alissa Spence, a freshman at UM, said. “It allows me to save money on places close to school.”
Even though first-year students are not allowed to have cars on campus, the University provides a variety of alternatives, including Metrorail, Hurry ’Canes Shuttles and others.
Of these options, Freebee’s late-night transportation is key to creating a secure campus. According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, violent crimes off campus were 50% more likely to occur at night.
What sets Freebee apart from its predecessor is its “efficiency and effective” use, according to the University of Miami. Unlike SafeRide, Freebee operates through the UMiami App and allows students to request rides, track vehicles and get more accurate pickup times.
Freebee was only available on weekdays between 7 p.m. and 4 a.m. but has extended service to the weekends as a pilot program through the spring 2025 semester.
According to UM Parking and Transportation, the department “met with Student Government and the Dean of Students Office to gain feedback on the switch to Freebee. Student input guided the decision for the extended hours now being offered.”
Cecilia Ramirez and Bhavya Sharma, current chairs of the SG Senate University Affairs Committee, helped execute and pass the Freebee bill that expanded its services.
“Senate has been pursuing a free or subsidized ride-sharing service for years now,” Ramirez said. “After the incredible results [of Freebee], we knew we had to expand its availability to the weekends so that more students could benefit.”
As director of SG’s University Affairs Committee and leader of the Campus Liaison Council, Branden Logatto’s role involves bridging student voices and administrative initiatives. When his team saw the success and potential of the ride-sharing program, they worked together to advocate for the expansion to the weekends.
“This academic year, I personally meet monthly with Parking and Transportation Administration, Eli Stephan and Shane Plageman, in addition to my Parking and Transportation Liaisons, Emily Cleary and Layla Hilmi,” Logatto said. “We [are] able to clearly communicate the success of the service to the administration.”
After consulting with Heather Stevens, SG advisor and assistant to the senior vice president for student affairs, SG developed a survey to gather feedback about how students would like to see Freebee expanded.
“We had over 500 student responses, showing administration that the expansion of this service was a priority of the student body,” Logatto said. “Though we experienced some bumps in the road due to additional funding needed for the service, we were able to work with administration to successfully launch the weekend service of Freebee this past January.”
According to Zamora, SG’s future plans for Freebee advocacy include adding a third environmentally friendly car to the fleet and tracking usage of the service to explore ways to improve the experience.