Safety Escort Service

Safety Escort Service

As part of a continuing commitment to provide the safest possible environment for our community, the Campus Safety Department operates a Safety Escort service during the hours of darkness and for special needs.

Campus Safety provides the Blinkie Van Safety Escort Service during the academic year, 7 days a week.  Blinkie service operates Sunday thru Thursday from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. and Friday and Saturday from 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. (Times are adjusted to start earlier as fall approaches and daylight hours become shorter).

Blinkie follows a predetermined route, stopping at all the residence halls and parking lots. You may call Security (574-284-5000) if you need to have them make a campus stop that is not on the route or if Blinkie just missed you, although there may be delays for busy times. 

Blinkie's normal route goes from Holy Cross Hall to Regina Hall, Regina Lot, McCandless Hall/Student Center circle, French Crossings Lot, Senior (Facilities) Lot, Angela Lot, Opus Apartments, Science Lot, Madeleva Bus Stop and then to the Notre Dame Grotto (after SWEEP bust stops),  returning to the Library Circle, and finally - LeMans Bus stop.

When waiting in the parking lot, remain in your vehicle with the doors locked and turn your emergency flashers on to aid the Safety Escort in finding you. Please remember that there may at times be a short wait as the driver may be busy dropping off other passengers.

Tracking Blinkie is simple with our BusWhere tracking app, which shows you where Blinkie is, what direction it is travelling, and the approximate time it will arrive at the stop nearest you. You can access this information on the web at https://buswhere.com/saintmarys or by downloading the BusWhere for Shuttles app on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and entering the code "SAINTMARYS".  QR codes with these links are available in the residence halls or on Blinkie.

Saint Mary's Campus Safety Department reminds you to There is safety in numbers - find a friend to walk with if you can. If you are stranded alone on either campus (or even close by off campus) an escort home can be arranged.  Call Campus Safety and we can help.  During the hours that Blinkie is not running and for special circumstances, please contact us.

Students are encouraged to make use of Transpo's "Sweep" for commuting back and forth to Notre Dame during the day and into the night. There is no fee for this transportation to and from Notre Dame for Saint Mary's College students/faculty/staff with ID card. (See Transpo schedule on this web site)

After the Safety Escort Van finishes it's last run for the day, Saint Mary's Campus Safety officers can be dispatched to pick you up at the Notre Dame Grotto Bus stop or Saint Mary's campus locations to get you home by calling the Campus Safety Office.   This service will be offered after the last Blinkie run of the evening. (2:00 a.m. week nights, 4:00 a.m. weekends) until sunrise. Please be patient and expect possible delays at high traffic times. Spaces on any Escort Vehicle are limited to the number of seatbelts available, 11 passengers for Blinkie and 6 for the larger Campus Safety Vehicles.

Groups of two or less may contact Notre Dame Security for an escort on their campus. Notre Dame Security/Police will also provide a walking escort from one location to another on their campus for two or fewer students during the hours of darkness using their SafeWalk program.

With your help and cooperation, we can provide a safe environment for all Saint Mary's College community members as we go about our activities. We welcome any questions or concerns regarding this program or any other aspect of safety and security on the Saint Mary's College campus.