BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — A rideshare service run by Bowling Green State University students has expanded its reach to offer help to survivors of sexual assault.
Three years ago, the first conversations began at BGSU and The Cocoon, a domestic violence shelter, to find new ways to address a lack of public transit in the city.
"There's not a lot of public transportation and not a lot of access to Uber. The couple of taxi services that are in the community stop running around usually 9 or 10 in the evening," said Robin Guidera, director of communications at The Cocoon.
Kacee Ferrell-Snyder, BGSU's gender violence prevention director, says it's especially an issue for victims of sexual assault urgently trying to get to a hospital.
"It wasn't necessarily any one thing, it was just that kind of conversation of like, this is a gap, right? Students could call campus police and campus police would take them, but campus police was not something people were always okay with," Ferrell-Snyder said. "It shouldn't be a barrier for students if they want to be able to get to the hospital, or they need to be able to get to the hospital."
BGSU and The Cocoon saw it as an opportunity to fill that gap and teamed up with ZiggyZooms, a student-run ride share service.
"I asked myself, how can we break down these barriers, these transportation issues that these students, survivors were experiencing, and how could we get them the healthcare they need?" said ZiggyZooms CEO, Cameron Parke.
He says joining the mission was an easy decision.
"Wherever they (the students) need to go, we're going to get it done for them. We just want to make them more comfortable and the ability to get them the health care that they need," Parke said. "We're by students, for students, right? So, we're trained up, and we're ready to go to take on this super sensitive issue and I couldn't be more proud and happy that they've considered us to do so."
A grant was awarded to The Cocoon in 2022 for the program. The grant was meant to last two years, supporting the operational costs of the program.
However, it took a substantial amount of time to gather students and resources to make the services possible. From background checks to certifications, ZiggyZooms drivers had to meet a lot of criteria to participate in the program.
"They (ZiggyZooms) were on board and they were willing to do the work, to make sure that they fit the bill. Because we didn't want to just have anybody provide the transportation. We really needed someone we felt like was safe and that survivors would feel supported by," Ferrell-Snyder said.
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It was a team effort meant to push the community forward.
"I think this is a great example of that this was our office (Center for Women and Gender Equity and the Center for Violence Prevention at BGSU), it was The Cocoon, it was ZiggyZooms, it's health and wellness, it's general council, it's all these people that have come together to make it happen," Ferrell-Snyder said.
Guidera agreed with the sentiment.
"I think this is just something that finally something that came together, that's just going to enhance services for survivors in our community," Guidera said.
ZiggyZooms will take students or anyone associated with BGSU anywhere in a 30 mile radius to get treatment, and Parke said, he encourages the community to call if they need help.
"Dial the line. BGSU has been advertising for this, the resources are here, let's get you taken care of. You don't have to be in the darkness when it comes to this. We will get you there," Parke said.
Grant money for this program ends in January. But Parke and Ferrell-Snyder say they are working to secure more funds, and don't plan on stopping services.
For more information on ZiggyZooms, click here.
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