Mission Statement

STRIPES will provide safe and confidential rides home within the city of Columbia for any MU student and their guests, without judgment and at no cost to the patron. Additionally, STRIPES will create a unique opportunity for student volunteers to serve their peers, make a lasting impact, and keep our campus and community safe.

Founded in 2001, STRIPES has grown to become a staple of the University of Missouri and the city of Columbia. STRIPES, a safe ride program, stands for Supportive Tigers Riding In Pursuit of Ensuring Safety, and is completely student-run. MU students and their guests can call for a free, safe, and confidential ride home on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights during the fall and spring academic semesters. Calls are accepted starting at 10 p.m. and no new rides are accepted after 3 a.m.

There are no questions asked; students are encouraged to call for a ride for whatever the reason. Whether a student is working late, on a bad date, or is unable to safely operate a motor vehicle, STRIPES is available, free of charge. We will pick up and drop off anywhere in the Columbia city limits, but will only take students to a home address, never a bar or party.

STRIPES utilizes vehicles from Avis, and is funded by the Missouri Students Association, private donors, local businesses and patron tips.

Interestingly enough, the idea of student-run, non-judgmental safe ride programs began with drunk driving. In 1998, a student at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX, started a program called CARPOOL following his DWI arrest the previous year, in order to prevent other students from repeating his mistake.

In April of 2001, five Mizzou students visited Texas and brought back plans for what later would become STRIPES. On October 4, 2001, the first safe ride home from STRIPES was completed. Since that monumental first ride, we’ve completed over 200,000 safe rides home. Our program is part of a larger, national organization of sister programs, called Safe Ride Programs United, or SRPU. STRIPES executives attend the national conference each February to develop ideas and make plans to better serve our fellow students and the community.

View our current operating schedule