While other students spend their Saturday night imbibing, a couple of University students routinely trade devil-may-care weekend indulgence for the task of dependability.
Last Saturday night, those dependable students were seniors Nikki Hewlett and Aki Ohdera — staff members of Designated Driver Shuttle ­— who say their efforts reward them with a touch of good karma.
DDS, the ASUO-sponsored ride with a mission of making the campus community safer, shuttles intoxicated students for free every night from 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.
The two DDS staffers start their evening at about 9:30 p.m. in the spacious DDS office in the EMU, equipped with a detailed wall map of Eugene, computer, two-way radio, phones and flashy big-screen TV.
Hewlett and Ohdera have worked on staff for more than a year, and by now they know the drill. At 10 p.m., they venture from the office to perform their assigned jobs of dispatching, navigating and driving.
As Hewlett walks confidently out to the van with clipboard and radio in hand, Ohdera carries the keys; together they appear like superheroes on a mission to save civilians from themselves.
The neon yellow DDS van, stamped with the DDS insignia on the side door, seats 11.
“It’s just like driving any other car— except it’s huge. Oh, and don’t forget to beep while backing up. It’s like being a trucker,” Hewlett said. “We always try our best to only take up one lane!”
While Ohdera starts the beastly roaring engine, Hewlett connects her iPod nano to the van’s stereo system and sets it to her favorite playlist.
“The riders listen to what I want ­— after all, I am giving them the ride,” Hewlett says. “Our riders enjoy anything loud and provocative.”
As the two prepare for their departure from the EMU parking lot, Ohdera adjusts his rear view mirror and seat as Hewlett turns on the two-way radio to get in touch with dispatchers in the DDS office. A Diet Pepsi can acting as a tip jar hangs above their heads by a tattered white string and duct tape. Tips from college students are rare, but Hewlett and Ohdera remain hopeful as they depart for the night.
The enormous van is hard to miss as it exits campus and passes by flocks of freshmen leaving the residence halls.
“Uh-oh, we have been spotted!” Ohdera says.
As he pushes down on the gas pedal, students begin to chase the van with their arms flailing above their heads. “DDS give us a ride! DDS come back!” they shout.
Unfortunately for them, students are only provided with a ride if they call DDS dispatch and arrange for a pick-up.
As the van makes its quick getaway, Hewlett’s techno tunes inundate the empty van. The open windows leave the tip can fluttering in the wind. As they drive, Ohdera and Hewlett imagine their riders for the night and review the rules for riders.
“There is no alcohol allowed in the van, no matter what,” Hewlett stresses. “We need to listen for clinking cans or bottles. If we get pulled over, we will be fined 10,000 dollars per person, and I can’t afford that on my college student salary!”
Frequently picking up intoxicated students, Ohdera explains that there is a simple criteria for whom they can provide service to.
“If they can walk and get into the van themselves… then hey, we’ll take ’em,” he said.
As the unmistakable DDS van rumbles down the streets of Eugene, it stops to pick up individuals, groups and encounters the occasional no-shows. However, the van route is not an exact science ­— there are unexpected bathroom breaks and even fast food stops that interrupt on the Saturday night shift.
At Stadium Park Apartments, the van stops for junior Olivia Parker, who is with a group of four others and proudly voices her admiration for DDS’s services.
“You are never afraid to call DDS,” Parker said. “I love that it is specifically for drunk people, oh my God, it’s just the best thing ever.”
Despite Parker’s heartfelt praise, the tip jar remained empty as her and her friends exited the vans.
A pick-up at 35th Avenue took Ohdera and Hewlett far beyond campus. The van struggled to pass through the narrow roads with no street lights or road signs. Just as Ohdera was about to reach for his road map, a loud voice came out of the trees and darkness, “DDS!”
A student in high heels came running toward the van, wobbling as she tried to gather her group.
The long drive to their destination allowed for conversation that included talk of French toast and other breakfast foods. The chat was abruptly interrupted when one student yelled, “Stop talking about French toast, I just had six beers and I look pregnant, PREGNANT!”
When the lively group arrived at their destination, they gave Hewlett and Ohdera an encouraging round of applause and whistles.
“I love you DDS,” they echoed.
Hewlett and Ohdera glanced longingly at the empty tip jar.
The DDS office turned off its phones at 2:30 a.m., but Ohdera and Hewlett didn’t finish giving rides until 3 a.m. As the tired van crawled to its final destinations and back to the EMU with the gas tank nearly empty, Hewlett and Ohdera inspected the van for garbage, forgotten items and even straggling passengers. Relieved, they determined that the van was intact and that it had been another successful night.
“If there were no accidents and no one threw up, well, we can’t ask for much more than that,” Hewlett said.
As Ohdera and Hewlett reached the DDS office to return equipment and keys, they were pleasantly surprised to find a whopping $8 in the tip jar, which they split between themselves and the dispatchers. Each employee made $2.
The staff headed home in the early hours of the morning, feeling a sense of accomplishment for their efforts.
“At the end of every night, we count the total number of riders that we drove home, and during the weekends, the number almost reaches around 150 to 200 riders,” Ohdera said. “It’s great to know that we were able to safely drive those people home.”
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