The Triton Taxi service will be available to pick students up from the U.S.-Mexican border in San Ysidro, Calif., beginning March 20.

Legislation to fund the expansion of UCSD’s “”safe ride home”” program passed the A.S. Council unanimously March 6 after over six months of work by Commissioner of Services and Enterprises Colin Parent.

“”I am really glad to see that the council was still behind [the expansion],”” Parent said.

Up to three vans per night will be available to pick up students from the Jack in the Box restaurant near the border. The service will be available Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.

“”Pickups will be from the Jack in the Box on San Ysidro Boulevard, which is well-lit, public and open 24 hours a day,”” the proposal states.

The time between when a student calls and when he or she is picked up is expected to take from 45 minutes to one hour.

Pickup from the border will, like all Triton Taxi pickups, occur only if the student has signed a waiver and has a Triton Taxi sticker.

Despite initial complaints by Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Joseph Watson and questions from the Student Safety Awareness Program, the Office of Services and Enterprises pushed the plan forward and negotiated with Cloud 9, the van service used for Triton Taxi, to get the program running.

“”I don’t think it is safe to go down to TJ at any time, but people are going to do it anyway,”” Parent said. “”We, as ASUCSD, need to provide a safe and accessible option for people to get home if their planned method of transportation fails.””

The Triton Taxi program currently sends out an average of one or two vans per night to pick up students, according to Parent. He said he expects the border pickups to be less frequent.

“”I don’t think we’re going to get more than one a weekend,”” Parent said of border pickups. “”I hope that not many students will need to use it. People should not drive to the border and plan to leave their cars there.””

SSAP Director Nancy Wahlig had some initial hesitations about running the safe-ride program to the border. However, she said the A.S. Council has thought the program through enough that it can be useful to some students.

“”It seems like Triton Taxi has done all their homework,”” she said. “”I think they’ve put in a safety net for individuals who may find themselves alone.””

SSAP works to educate students about how to stay safe when visiting Mexico.

“”I guess Triton Taxi is another option,”” Wahlig said.

Wahlig said she hopes to work with members of the A.S. Council to develop a comprehensive education program for next year’s Welcome Week to educate students about all their options when visiting Mexico.

Parent said that he plans to begin a large-scale marketing campaign to educate students about the new functions of Triton Taxi during the third week of spring quarter.

Complaints were made to the A.S. Council during fall quarter about Cloud 9 dispatchers telling students calling for Triton Taxi pickups that their locations were not in the service area, even when the students were within the service area outlined in the contract.

Parent said these complaints have stopped, but in case of a similar situation, he recommends that students either stay in the 24-hour Jack in the Box until someone can pick them up or call a cab.