You’re deep in South Oakland at 2:30 a.m., and the dark, 20-minute walk lying between you and… You’re deep in South Oakland at 2:30 a.m., and the dark, 20-minute walk lying between you and your destination makes your Towers dorm room seem welcoming.

Fortunately, your friendly SafeRider driver is only a phone call away.

A nighttime and early morning service offered without charge to Pitt students and their guests, Safe Rider offers direct transportation between on-campus buildings and near-campus residences. Just be sure you’re not out of the SafeRider district — the service operates only within set boundaries on and near campus. SafeRider doesn’t go outside of Baum Boulevard, just past Centre Avenue, on the north; Carnegie Mellon, up Forbes Avenue, on the east; the Biotech Center, across the Penn-Lincoln Parkway, on the south; and Robinson Street, in Upper Campus by Trees Hall, on the west. SafeRider will also go to Chatham College, which lies up toward Shadyside and Squirrel Hill, between Forbes and Fifth avenues.

SafeRider drivers respond within about 20 minutes of receiving your call and will transport you, along with as many as two non-student guests. You just need to show your student ID when the van arrives.

Be sure to mention how many people will need a ride when you call, and have your student ID ready. Though drivers may be more lenient when the van is empty, they can refuse you if you don’t have identification, or if you didn’t reserve spaces for everyone in your group when you called.

Thirteen Pitt shuttles, in addition to a disability shuttle, also run on regular routes during the fall and spring semesters. These shuttles run from the early morning hours into the wee hours of the night, and they will take you places around campus that you might not be able to easily reach by the city bus system. Since SafeRider runs only during late and early hours, you’ll have to get around during the day by catching a University shuttle or bus at one of the many stops around campus.

Pitt shuttles and buses stop only at designated stops during daylight hours, but after 7 p.m., drivers will let passengers off at any points along their routes, as long as they believe the area is safe.

Although shuttles and buses don’t operate at your beck and call like SafeRider, they provide another safe way to get around campus and are particularly useful for students who have to travel between Lower Campus, home of the Cathedral of Learning and the William Pitt Union, and Upper Campus, dominated by Sutherland and Trees halls.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, your Pitt student ID gets you a free ride around Pittsburgh with Port Authority Transit, the city bus system. PAT buses travel all over Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas. From Oakland, they provide a 10-minute ticket to downtown on any bus numbered in the 61s or 71s, as well as the 500 and the 501; a 30-minute ride to the Waterfront on the 59 U; or an hour’s journey to the Century III Mall on the 68 A or 69 A. When the buses lose their appeal, you can use your ID for a free trip on the “T,” Pittsburgh’s trolley-subway system that runs to Station Square and beyond. You can also enjoy a free trip up any incline to the top of Mount Washington for an awesome view of the city — perfect to impress your parents or that in your bio lab.

Many new students fall into the Oakland trap, never leaving campus from the time they arrive in Pittsburgh until the time they go home for Thanksgiving. With a free pass to anywhere in the area, it’s worth leaving your dorm on a Saturday afternoon to visit any of the museums, restaurants, shopping areas or historic districts in Pittsburgh.