Husky SafeTrip
Hours
6:30 p.m.-2 a.m. daily except University holidays or when the campus operations are suspended.
Service
UW students and employees can get a safe ride home in the SafeTrip service area. This means to a residence, to a parking lot or to public transit stop on or near the Seattle campus. The service area includes campus and the greater University District. See the service area map.
How to use Husky SafeTrip
Call 206-685-9255. Tell the dispatcher where you’re calling from (specify what part of the building you’re near). Stand outside or near the entryway and watch for the UWPD security guard car. Have your Husky Card or other photo identification ready.
It’s 7:45 p.m. on an October night and a sprinkle of stars can be seen in the sky above the University of Washington’s Seattle campus.
Natalie Flores, a first-year UW student who just finished work at the Husky Union Building, is concerned about walking home across campus by herself. She calls 206-685-9255 for a ride home via a UW Police Department security guard.
“It means a lot that I can call and get a safe ride,” Flores said.
Through Husky SafeTrip (formerly Husky NightWalk), UWPD security guards provide a ride at night (6:30 p.m.-2 a.m.) for students and employees from UW buildings to homes on or near campus, to parking lots and to transit (see box for service info).
The program is getting the new name to more accurately describe the service (it’s not a walk anymore). This comes at the same time that the Husky NightRide shuttle is revamping as well, with easier to see stops on campus and fully branded vans making it easier to catch the shuttle and take it where you need to go on campus or in the U District.
James Bynum, one of several security guards who work Husky SafeTrip rides over the course of a year, gives up to 40 rides a night to students like Flores and UW psychology student Emily Bu, who called SafeTrip after on-campus water polo practice because she didn’t want to walk by herself.
“I wanted to play it safe,” Bu said from the backseat of the UWPD all-electric security sedan.
Like many students, she’s called SafeTrip before. Bynum has regular riders who will join him in singing along to his SafeTrip playlist. One regular is a faculty member who calls for a safety escort from a late class.
“SafeTrip exists so she doesn’t have to get to her car on her own,” said Bynum, who was recently promoted to a UW Campus Safety Responder serving residence halls.
The secure ride program received a generous donation in 2016 to expand the service area into the University District. With ongoing contributions from students, families and alumni, the service can continue to meet the needs of students for secure rides after dark for years to come.
SafeTrip is not available for routine errands, but HuskyCards are good on transit anytime and going anywhere.
Learn more about Husky SafeTrip.