Tip Whip, a student-run driving service, will be offered to Keene State College students within the next few months for almost no cost year-round.
By downloading the Tip Whip app, students will be able to get drivers to pick them up and drop them off at any address, on or off campus. Just be sure to register with your school e-mail and check off that you are enrolled at KSC; employees and customers must be students only. You will also be asked to submit your credit or debit card information as well so you can tip your driver.
The main advantage to using this service is that you don’t need to carry any money on you. Since your card is hooked up to the app, you can tip any amount you want through your phone.
So don’t worry if you didn’t bring your wallet or if you lost it amidst your nightly adventures; just as long as you keep your phone on, you can get a ride.
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College kids are up all hours of the night hopping from one party to the next, but New England’s brutal temperatures may prevent people from going out.
Usually, students resort to calling campus safety for a ride, but they are not always available. However, Tip Whip drivers are students that you can rely on to be there.
Unlike Uber, you’ll be more familiar with the person driving you. Since staff is limited to students only, they’re more likely to be a friend rather than a stranger. According to whosdrivingyou.org, there are numerous incidents that involve Uber drivers harming their passengers and allowing criminals behind the wheel.
However, on Tip Whip’s website, you can see that drivers must undergo a vetting process that includes in-person interviews, vehicle inspections, violence prevention training, first aid certification and on-road driving tests.
KSC senior Kelsey Jackson is the campus CEO of Tip Whip. When asked about their schedule, she assumed they will be open 24/7 for half the week. “We’ll most likely be available Wednesdays through Saturdays, when most people go out, but it depends on how many drivers we get.”
According to Jackson, the idea came to the CEO of Tip Whip Spencer Wood while he was a student at the University of Maine.
Sick of giving his friends rides at night when they were drunk, he thought, ‘Why don’t people have a driving service for this sort of thing?’ Since then, he’s made his idea into reality. Tip Whip has expanded to multiple universities and colleges such as UMaine Farmington, Husson University, Beal College, UMaine Orono and Eastern Maine Community College.
Throughout the next month, Jackson can be contacted through her school e-mail, kelsey.jackson@ksc.keene.edu for any students interested in applying to be a Whip driver. If there are not enough drivers, then hours may be restricted.
KSC first year Mary-Kate Cavanaugh spends every weekend going out with friends. “I usually call campus safety if it’s really cold, but I’d definitely use Tip Whip if they were to come to Keene State,” she said.
Her friend and KSC first year Taylor Lindquist also shared her excitement. “Yeah, I always go to the L[iving] L[earning] C[ommons] to see my friends, so it’d be cool if I could get a ride there instead of walking in the cold every night,” she said.
Tip Whip can be used for all transportation needs, which includes getting a ride to Walmart, Target, Monadnock Food Co-op or any of the other surrounding stores in Keene.
For more information, check out Tip Whip’s website at www.tipwhip.com or follow their Twitter and Instagram accounts. Anyone who has questions about applying can contact Kelsey Jackson or Spencer Wood at info@tipwhip.com.
Katie Jensen can be contacted at kjensen@kscequinox.com
