Kayla McLain had to drive more than 24 hours to get from her hometown of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., to the university.

McLain drove with a friend because she would not consider making the trip alone, the sophomore sports broadcasting major said.

“I really don’t think it’s safe to drive by yourself,” she said. “I don’t recommend it at all. I can’t imagine making it alone.”

Now McLain might never have to make that drive alone, or any other drive, due to Student Government Association legislation. The House of Student Representatives, the legislative branch of SGA, passed a bill Jan. 31 to spend $2,500 to buy a one-year trial of Ridaroo.com, a carpooling website.

SGA President Brent Folan said TCU Technology Resources also would pay $2,500 for the one-year trial of Ridaroo.

According to the Ridaroo website, students could create their own profile through an organization, in this case the university. Students could connect with other commuters from the same organization and enter their starting address as well as their destination, according to the websites. The website would match students with another student who had a similar route.

Students also could set a weekly price for carpooling as well as predict their carbon footprint from the trip, according to the website.

Josh Harmon, director of enterprise application services, said Technology Resources wanted to help SGA pay for the website because they wanted to support the student initiative.

“It was our desire to stand with the students and support them in something they wanted,” he said. “We felt that if the Student Government Association approved [the bill], then that demonstrated that desire from the students.”

Still, students, like Blaire Kelly, said they were worried about riding with students they might not know. The sophomore speech-language pathology major said she did not like the idea of riding with people she did not know.

“I just wouldn’t want to have a stranger in my car, someone I really didn’t know,” she said. “I like helping people out, but it would just be strange.”

Although Kelly worried about this, students, like Graham McMillan, thought the website could make the university community grow closer together. McMillan, SGA Vice President of External Affairs, said he thought Ridaroo would bring better community connections.

“Who’s to say that after you give me a ride we don’t hang out and go get a Coke afterwards?” he said.

Folan said the university wanted to examine the contract with Ridaroo. Although he did not know how long that would take, he said he hoped students could use the website by Easter break.

If the universitydid not approve the contract, the house would get the $2,500 back, he said. 

SGA gotthe idea from other universities, he said. Other universities have corkboards where students could post information regarding ride sharing. 

“A lot of universities across the nation actually have those big corkboards that they use,” he said. “I figured we want to stay ahead of the curve with everyone, so why not go digital with it?”

Sophomore spanish major Tony Stripling said he thought the program would help TCU students travel home and back again to campus.

“I wouldn’t have a problem giving someone I didn’t know a ride back to TCU,” he said. 

It would also be helpful for students who don’t know very many other students in their hometowns, he said. However, students needed to be careful whom they ride with, he said.  

Folan said SGA took that concern into account. Students could only carpool with fellow TCU students.

“These are only going to be fellow Horned Frogs that can use this website,” he said. “I mean, you might not know them but I can guarantee that you have common friends.”

McMillan said that with the university joining the Big 12 Conference, students could carpool to away football games to show their support.

McLain said she thought Ridaroo would help students travel to away games, especially those without cars.