Notorious serial murderers like “The Freeway Killer” are credited with bringing a rapid decline to the hitchhiking trend toward the end of the 1970s, but some UA students don’t mind sharing a car with a stranger as long as they can split the gas money.
Nearly 600 students have joined the “University of Alabama (UA) Rideshare Group” on Facebook, posting things like “anyone going to Auburn this Friday?” and “Really need a ride from Birmingham airport to Tuscaloosa at around 10:50, will give money for gas.”
UA Rideshare is part of a national trend of online carpooling services. Several such apps exist and are free for certain smartphones, including “Carpool School Edition,” “Zimride” and “Car Pool Party.”
Nojan Radfar, a freshman majoring in finance and real estate, has accepted a ride through Rideshare and said he’s aware there are risks to traveling with a stranger but desperate times call for desperate measures.
“The worst that could happen,” Radfar said. “You die.”
He said that was only a joke and it was a farfetched notion. He said he already has a plan, however, in case he ever finds himself in danger.
“If it ever came to that, I’d play it cool and act natural as if nothing was going on,” Radfar said. “[I would] keep gradually bringing up how my stomach felt ill and eventually he’d pull over and I’d make sure to ditch the situation I’m in and tell them to go on and call a friend to come get me.”
Radfar said he doesn’t think that will be necessary, though. He said hitching a ride is hardly different from any other experience of meeting new people
“Keep in mind that they know you just as much as you know them, little to nothing,” Radfar said. “They are as scared of you as you are of them.”
For the most part, Rideshare participants don’t seem to be concerned with any risks. In fact, Alexis Unger, a freshman studying business, said she had much different priorities when she used Rideshare to catch a ride with a stranger after winter break.
“I was a little nervous about how I’d make conversation for an 8 hour car ride with a near stranger,” Unger said. “I found that we had plenty to talk about between having grown up in similar areas and going to the same school. We talked about football – of course, how could we not – music, life, and our college experiences so far.”
On the other side of the coin, there are those who give rides, like Cassandra Kaplan, a junior majoring in public relations. Kaplan said she is comfortable with the program because it is only used by UA students.
“I like being able to help people who would be stuck otherwise,” Kaplan said. “There was this couple who was stuck at the airport on the day of the Iron Bowl who were just going to stay at the airport until their friend landed the next day because they didn’t have a ride. They were so grateful when I have them a ride back to town.”
