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University of Arizona picks its top five student apps
It's becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the prevalence and utility of mobile apps on the college campus. With this in mind, the University of Arizona's Daily Wildcat has named its top-5 mobile apps for students on campus.
Topping the the list is the official University of Arizona app. As with other university apps, students can find nearly everything they need to know on Arizona's app: campus maps, transit info, student portal access, email, as well as campus health, news, entertainment information.
Viewed as a practical tool for students on campus, the app also provides access to other university websites and connected apps, including UActive for campus rec scheduling, the UNutrition nutrition-calculator app, TransLoc Rider that tracks shuttle bus locations in real time, and the LiveSafe campus safety app.
Designed to help students keep up with all university related news. Included in the app are push notifications for breaking news, access to digitized weekly print editions, as well as access to local radio and UATV.
Designed to help students skip the line at the till, Tapingo has quickly become the go-to mobile ordering solution for campuses of all shapes and sizes. Whether a quick bite between classes or a coffee to keep a study session alive, Tapingo offers students an easy way to order and pay for food for either pick or delivery.
Tapingo is also dubbed by the Daily Wildcat as "arguably the No. 1 service" implemented by the dining locations in the university's student union, as well as off campus vendors.
A free university service, SafeRide offers students a ride home from Sunday through Thursday 6:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. and Friday from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. The mission of the program is to provide students with an alternative to walking alone on campus, and similar to other universities, the service is managed and operated solely by students.
Students can call for a ride over the phone, but a new app interface through TapRide has proven to be a useful alternative. Acting similarly to other ride share app interfaces, students can input their location from the list of official pick-up locations and choose a destination. Students must produce a valid CatCard to use the service.
Parking is a headache on any college campus, and Arizona is no different. So the University of Arizona's Parking and Transportation Services partnered with Metropia to help students find easy routes to the best parking spaces.
The app is particularly handy for big campus events like football games. Users can view parking availability and fees in lots and garages in real time and guides you to less-congested areas around UA’s surrounding streets. The app also rewards users who carpool and plan routes in advance with points that can be redeemed for gift card prizes.
