Staying safe
Campus Ride narrows who a stranger can be. It cannot make getting on a stranger's bike risk-free, and it would be dishonest to suggest otherwise. This is what to do.
Before you get on
Check three things at the kerb
- The number plate — the same one the app showed you.
- The code — you both say the same four digits.
- The face — the same person as the photo on the card.
If any of the three is wrong, do not get on. You do not owe anybody an explanation, and you have not wasted anyone's time. Walk away, then report it in the app.
Send the link
Every agreed ride has a share link. Send it to a friend, a flatmate or a parent before you set off — it shows who you are with, which bike and what plate, and it needs no account to open. It is the single most useful thing on this page.
On the road
- Wear the helmet. Riders are asked whether they carry a spare, and the app shows the answer before you agree. If there is no spare, that is a reason to say no.
- You can ask to stop. At any point, for any reason, including no reason. A rider who argues about it is telling you something.
- Trust the feeling. Riding with someone who has been drinking, riding without a helmet, or riding too fast for the road is worth the awkwardness of getting off.
- Keep it to the route. A detour that was not discussed is worth questioning out loud.
If something goes wrong
Reports go to a person, who sees both sides. Two reports from two different students suspend an account automatically while it is looked at. You can also block someone, which stops the two of you ever being matched again, and blocking is silent — they are not told.
What the app does at its end
- Everyone signs in with a university email address.
- Every rider offering a seat has had a photo ID and a live selfie checked by a person. A rider cannot advertise a seat without passing that.
- Phone numbers appear only after both people have agreed to the ride.
- Students needing a lift are never browsable as a list. They appear only while they have put themselves on the board.
- You can ask to be matched only with students of the same gender.
- The last 700 metres of any route is hidden, so the app is never a directory of where students live.
What it does not do
It does not check licences against any government record, inspect anybody's bike, or supervise a ride once it starts. It has no insurance of its own. It is a way for students who were already making the same trip to find each other — the judgement at the kerb is yours, and this page exists to make sure you know that before you need it.