On Aug. 1, Case Western Reserve will transition to two new mobile apps for safety alerts and transportation services on campus: Spartan Safe and Spartan Ride.
Spartan Safe—created through Rave Mobile Safety, which the university currently uses to send emergency alerts—will replace the Rave Guardian app, and provides enhanced functionality to help keep the campus community safe.
Spartan Ride will combine on-demand Safe Ride services and shuttle route schedules into one mobile app, which will replace the existing Safe Ride app and allow riders to find the most convenient routes to their destination. Safe Ride services will be available in the app on Aug. 1, with shuttle route schedules being added later in the month.
“Whether we’re communicating emergency information or helping the CWRU community get around campus quickly, we want to be able to offer the best tools to keep campus safe—Spartan Safe and Spartan Ride will help us do that,” said Executive Director of Public Safety, Megan Koeth. “We’re excited to make these transitions and to offer new features that will make it easier for our community to stay informed and safe.”
App Features
Spartan Safe
Quick Access to Critical Information
Receive real-time campus updates from the @cwru twitter news feed, along with quick access to critical phone numbers like campus police. Users also can access other important numbers for safety, mental health, wellness resources and more.
Easy Emergency Communication
Spartan Safe provides a Mobile BlueLight feature allowing users to relay their position in real time to a dispatcher and initiate an emergency call to public safety. Additionally, the Friend Walk feature lets users send their position to a friend via SMS or email—the user can set their destination and the friend can watch as the user walks to their destination. Both the user and friend can hit the emergency button if anything happens during the walk.
Anonymous Tip Reporting and Chat
Submit an in-app tip report either by phone call or an anonymous form. Tips can then be routed to appropriate departments to make sure the issue gets the attention it needs. Users can also utilize the safety toolbox to chat with campus security, share your location, flashlight features and more.
Emergency Plans
From active aggressors and evacuations, to severe weather and suspicious packages, view campus emergency plans for all types of scenarios.
Push Notifications
Spartan Safe offers a seamless notification process in the event of an emergency. In extreme circumstances, phone lines may prevent some messages from going through quickly. Spartan Safe’s push notifications allow users to get the message instantaneously, even if they don’t have cellular service, such as in the basement of a building. (Wi-Fi access would be necessary.) Plus, individuals can share their location with the app to receive geo-targeted alerts.
Spartan Ride
One Stop for Transportation Resources
Riders will be able to toggle between tabs in the app to access Safe Ride services or locate the nearest shuttle route to find the quickest way to their destination. Safe Ride services will be available in the app on Aug. 1, and shuttle route schedules will be added later in the month.
Increased Reliability
Spartan Ride will integrate existing public transportation services in the area through TransLoc, increasing app reliability and improving the user experience.
Dedicated Grocery Route
Spartan Ride will launch a dedicated loop to and from Dave’s Market daily from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Riders will be able to use this service to shuttle from the Spartan Ride service area to Dave’s Market and back, providing lower wait times for other riders and support for those who need to transport groceries.
Download Information
Both Spartan Safe and Spartan Ride will be available for free download on the App Store and Google Play on Aug. 1, 2022. The CWRU Rave Guardian and CWRU Safe Ride apps will no longer be in service after July 31.