Vanderbilt Students will be able to use Commodore Cards to pay for cab rides in the fall, said Vanderbilt Student Government President Lori Murphy.
VSG unveiled a new taxi payment system that would allow students to swipe their Commodore Cards in lieu of purchasing Cab Cash. The resolution passed last Wednesday will discontinue the Cab Cash program and install Commodore Card readers in Nashville, Allied and Diamond cabs.
“This initiative will not only allow students to pay for their cab ride using their Commodore Card, but they will be able to split it with up to three people,” Murphy said.
Taxi USA is investing a quarter of a million dollars to outfit 200 vehicles with the new card readers in hopes of attracting more business from the Vanderbilt community. The new program arose from a partnership between VSG, the Commodore Card office and Taxi USA.
VSG is putting forth $500 to test-run the new system this summer. Vanderbilt students will have access to 20 cabs outfitted with the new system to test its effectiveness before the official launch in the fall.
Campus Services co-chairs, Trevor Gellar and Zye Hooks, and Student Services Technology co-chairs, Maryclaire Manard and Shelby Begany, will oversee the launch of the program in the fall.
“I think that the new taxi cab program is a great way to streamline the process for many students,” said Hooks. “Once again it comes back to ensuring a greater measure of convenience for our students.”
Safety is the overall concern said Murphy.
“With Vandy Vans and with cabs we just want to make sure that Vanderbilt students are kept safe and their lives are convenient,” Murphy said.
Justin Tardiff contributed reporting to this article.
