The first weekend under the new STRIPES policy to decrease wait times was successful for the organization, STRIPES spokesman Mark Hodges said.

In the past, a student could request a ride from STRIPES for a large group. The new policy was announced Feb. 14 and stated that each STRIPES ride reservation would be limited to five people in order to decrease multiple trips made by one car.

“Although there are no exact numbers for this past weekend, we were running more efficiently and wait times should theoretically decrease,” Hodges said. “Many of our patrons this weekend already knew about the policy when they called, so overall, this weekend ended up doing well.”

Even though each car is limited to only five people, the policy states that if someone has a larger group, the group would just have to call for two ride requests. Two cars would be sent to pick up the group, thereby decreasing wait times and increasing efficiency, according to a STRIPES news release.

“It makes sense,” nightly operations coordinator Tyler Ricketts said in the news release. “We’re saving money and we’ll actually save you time this way as well.”

Hodges said in the past, drivers would have to spend a large amount of time and gas driving a group of 10 passengers all the way across town and back to their respective homes.

“It’s probably the least favorite thing for our drivers,” Hodges said. “Some nights, cars would come back at five in the morning because rides were so far across town. This new policy will improve that and we will see visible changes in how much we spend on gas.”

Although STRIPES is using this policy to improve efficiency and wait times, bad experiences in the past have discouraged some students from using the volunteer program.

“I haven’t used STRIPES in the past because the few times I’ve called, the line has always been busy, and I have heard from others that it takes a long time for STRIPES to pick them up after they call,” freshman Abbey Tingle said. “I think the new policy is fair but I still think the wait times will be long, and personally for me, it’s just not worth it.”

Other ways that STRIPES is trying to improve efficiency is through the goMizzou app, Hodges said. The app includes a STRIPES section that allows you to make a reservation. The app uses GPS to determine where STRIPES callers are if they don’t know their exact location.

“Your location gets sent right to the STRIPES office,” Hodges said. “We like the app because it cuts down our resources. Hopefully in the future, some of our volunteers who work answering calls can be sent out to drive.”

STRIPES is always looking for feedback, Hodges said. Students can send any comments to STRIPES through Facebook or Twitter.

“We love to hear what people think of the program,” Hodges said. “We want to be able to tailor the program to Mizzou students.”