The UM shuttle that crashed earlier this month due to an allegedly drunk driver is being used as a marketing technique for a therapy app. Lusaea, the app, is referencing the incident in posters across campus, claiming that it helped students who are suffering after the accident.
The fliers, which were first seen near the front entrance of Ungar by Hurricane reporters, read, “Drunk bus driver put me in therapy. The ride ended. The anxiety didn’t — but Lusaea helped me out.”
The messaging references an incident that happened on Monday, Feb. 16, when a RSMAS shuttle driver was arrested after crashing while allegedly driving under the influence with approximately 15 students in the vehicle. Two students suffered minor injuries from the accident.
The shuttle driver is facing one charge of driving under the influence, two charges of DUI with damage to property or person and one charge of refusal to submit to a breath test. His license has since been suspended as a result of these charges.
A QR code on the flyers directs viewers to the App Store to download Lusaea, a “therapy companion app to make your therapy sessions more effective.”
The Hurricane contacted several students who were on the shuttle, all of whom said they were not contacted by Lusaea, have no affiliation with the app and did not ask for the incident to be referenced in promotional materials.
“A number of my friends have sent me photos of those posters, and it’s been shared in the group chat,” said Alastair Shen, a student who was on the shuttle during the accident. “As far as I’m aware, the app or posters aren’t related or partnered or requested by any of us. All of us just laughed at the irony.”
Since Tuesday, Feb. 24, other versions of the flyers have been spotted around Dooley Memorial and Whitten LC.
New flyers read, “This shuttle ride changed me. I got off the bus. The stress stayed — but Lusaea helped me out.”
It is unclear who put the fliers up around campus. Lusaea has no visible ties to UM, and the account is not following anyone and has no followers on Instagram.
“Any posters not found to be in compliance with University policy will be removed,” the University said in a statement to The Hurricane.