Living in a college town with bars sometimes a few miles away from their off-campus housing, students can face the dilemma of being unable to attend a night out. Some students struggle to walk because of the weather or distance, and being in college can make paying for Uber a financial burden.
A few years back, a man named Dominic Ricci decided that he wanted to help out college students all around Rowan’s campus get to where they need to be safely and have fun doing so.
“I started it [the business] when I lost my close friend to drunk driving. I want Rowan students to have a safe and fun way to get to parties,” said Ricci.
Ricci started a shuttle business called the Drunk Shuttle. All a student has to do in order to get a lift is to download The Drunk Shuttle app and follow the instructions there. His phone number is also available through the business’s Instagram if students have any other inquiries. Ricci has made it his mission to eliminate drunk driving with The Drunk Shuttle.
“That’s my main goal is to eliminate it [drunk driving] as a whole and pick up as many people as I can,” said Ricci.
There is a large problem with drunk driving, and that is not only observed by the police but also by young people. So many people have been affected by drunk driving.
“There were two kids who died from drunk driving in my town, and I see a lot of people getting pulled over from drunk driving, so having a drunk shuttle on campus is definitely a positive thing,” said Fiona Pasqua, a student at Rowan.
Safety, while being his number one priority, is not Ricci’s only goal that he wants to achieve through the shuttle service. He also wants to give students a space to have fun that isn’t limited to a bar or a fraternity party. The shuttle is available for any usage that students may want, even if that is simply calling a ride to be driven around Glassboro and have a fun time.
“I just want people to understand that drinking and driving is so unsafe,” said Ricci. “And for people without much money not to have to worry about how they can go have fun with their friends.”
Having Ricci accessible to relay students to and from places in a safe manner is welcomed by Rowan students.
“It would prevent not only accidents for students but people in the surrounding area. Rowan is around a residential neighborhood, and this may deter the residents’ lives and the conflicting college student life,” said Braelyn Davis, a student at Rowan.
The idea to start this came from a place of care for students and to honor his friend who lost his life to a drunk driver. Ricci encourages people to drink responsibly, and to call The Drunk Shuttle to a be safe and have a good time.
For comments/questions about this story, DM us on Instagram @thewhitatrowan or email [email protected]
