RISD Rides

As of January 5, 2026, hours of operation for RISD Rides will be 4 pm–2:30 am, seven days per week. All ride requests must be submitted by 2:15 am; the service will not accept requests made after 2:15 am.

For the remainder of this academic year, the service area will remain unchanged, thus reversing a plan that was originally communicated in December 2025.

1. Set up an account with TransLoc (best done from your smartphone).
2. Download the TransLoc smartphone app (available for Android and  iOS). You need the app in order to book a ride.*
3. Open the app from your phone and select “Book a ride”.
4. Select your pickup location. (You can select a location by typing in the address bar, making a selection from the “My Addresses” dropdown menu, or by moving the green pin on the map to your desired pickup location.)
5. Enter and select a dropoff address.
6. Indicate the number of passengers. If you are only making a reservation for yourself, click “Just Me”.
7. Select “Request ride”.

*If you need to request a ride but do not have a smartphone, you can contact Public Safety at 401-427-6915 to request a ride. You can also call Public Safety If you need a ride outside the above hours of operation.

Verifying your RISD Ride

Once you have scheduled a ride, click “View Ride”. This action accesses a live map that displays:

• your pickup and drop-off locations
• the vehicle’s location (once you’ve been assigned a driver)
• your estimated pickup and drop-off times.

You will receive a text message to the phone number associated with your account 3-5 minutes prior to the arrival of your RISD Rides vehicle, as well as when the driver arrives at your location.

If you wish to change your ride or schedule a new one, you must first cancel your already scheduled ride. If you cancel your ride, you cannot schedule a new ride for the next hour.

If your RISD Ride is delayed, call Public Safety at 401-454-6376. Do not cancel and try to re-request a ride, as you will be subject to the one-hour pause on ride requests.

For easy recognition, RISD Rides operates distinctly marked vans. Drivers wear Transdev uniforms as well as a photo badge, which they must present to passengers upon request. RISD Rides drivers are professionally trained and licensed and undergo regular driving and criminal history records checks.

When the RISD Rides vehicle arrives, you must show your RISD ID card in order to enter. All passengers—including the guests of RISD community members—are expected to treat drivers respectfully.

RISD Rides reserves the right to deny transport to any passenger if the driver deems their behavior to be dangerous to the operation of the vehicle, the driver, or other passengers.

Passengers must wear seatbelts, in accordance with Rhode Island law. With the exception of service animals, pets are not allowed in RISD Rides vehicles. Smoking and the transportation of alcohol in RISD Rides vehicles are strictly prohibited.

1. Open the TransLoc app.
2. On the bottom menu, click “Me.” This will open a display on your app screen indicating any active ride requests.
3. Select the ride you want to cancel.
4. Click “Cancel Ride”

After canceling, you will not be able to schedule a new ride for the next hour. (See “Verifying your RISD Ride” above for details.)