This SUBU staff member has created an app to help students get home safe from a night out

A Bournemouth University member of staff has created an app to enable students to get home safely from a night out.

Nicky Robinson, who works part-time at SUBU, created Footbus after speaking to a student who was worried about walking back from university in the dark by herself.

Footbus allows students to walk together in a group, like a bus, to feel safer on their commute home from a night out.

The student shared with Nicky that she always texted her mother what she was wearing in case the worst happened on her journey home. This image sat with Nicky and she couldn’t get the thought out of her head, the idea of Footbus was born.

Nicky told The Bournemouth Tab: “When Sarah Everard died, lots of safety apps were created. I didn’t like the thought of women walking by themselves clinging to their phones on an app by themselves, so I created an app where you can walk in a group and have fun together.”

The app enables individuals to make a group and share walking routes at certain times with friends meaning no one ever has to walk alone. It’s an easy way to make walking plans without back-and-forth texting on different social media platforms.

Women feel more unsafe walking home at night according to the YouGov poll for the BBC with 66 per cent of women say they feel unsafe walking at night “sometimes”, in comparison to only 39 per cent of men.

Nicky said: “You never have to walk alone after a night out or a late-night study session, it’s a tool to contact lots of people at once, someone may be walking the same route as you and this means you can walk together and be safe.”

“If at least one person uses Footbus and gets home safe that’s all I ask.”

With Footbus you can connect with your friends and know you will be safer walking together in the dark. However, the app is also great not just for walking in the dark but to plan walks with friends in the daytime, taking breaks from studying and getting some fresh air is crucial. “Footbus promotes being healthy and having fun with friends,” Nicky said.

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