Buzz Rides is a for-profit company started by UNC students Joey Skavroneck and Parker Draughon as a service for students who live off-campus and need transportation between the hours of 10 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. The cars are electric and the rides are free.
In October 2013, Buzz Rides began applying for money from student government through the student safety and security committee. Buzz Rides and SafeWalk asked for $15,000 and $20,000 respectively, but the committee only had about $17,000 to give.
Josh Aristy, chairman of the finance committee, said he thinks he knows why Buzz Rides received funding.
“(The student safety and security committee) thought you know, let’s just give them some money, it’s entrepreneurship, deals with safety and security, because you know how Buzz Rides functions, so why not?” he said.
Buzz Rides received $15,000 and SafeWalk received $2,000. The decision was approved by the committee on May 6, but was not enacted because Student Body Treasurer Brittany Best froze the Student Activities Fund Account.
Best froze the money because of a possible student government code violation about giving money to a for-profit organization.
A few days later, Aristy brought up the issue of the meeting having a quorum. The committee needed five people to vote on the issue, but they only had four, mistakenly counting Best as a voting member. Aristy sent a resolution stating only the financial committee could unfreeze the accounts.
“We got approved for about $14,900, and we have not received any of that money,” Skavroneck said.
