The Northeastern University Police Department, or NUPD, has developed a new version of RedEye, the free late-night ride service app, in partnership with rideshare company Via.

The RedEye shuttle, which picks students up at Snell Library, was designed for off-campus students who live within two miles of Northeastern’s campus and need a ride home after dark. Students can request rides from their smartphone between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Via, which is based out of New York City, invented the rideshare technology that makes services like Uber Pool and Lyft Line possible in 2013.

“The parameters that we set on is a two mile radius from the center of campus, which we consider the Snell Library,” NUPD Staff Sgt. John J. Farrell said. “When you download the app, you have your address in there and the app will confirm that you are within that radius.”

While students regularly used a version of the RedEye app last year, Farrell said there were still issues with the service.

“We had about 45,000 rides last year, I believe, and 3,300 users, and most had good experiences,” Farrell said. “There were some bad experiences and people let us know about it.”

Fourth-year journalism and English combined major Chris Triunfo said he experienced issues when using the app last year.

“They’d stick you in the cue, and essentially if you were to play by the rules and wait for the app to tell you when to go out to get the RedEye, you would not be getting in until 4 a.m. if you ordered it at 1 a.m.,” Triunfo said. “It just kinda became this mad scramble of people running to the RedEye as it approached.”

To address these issues, NUPD decided to partner with Via for the development of a new app. In a press release, the company explained how its app would accommodate users’ needs. “Via’s advanced algorithms will enable multiple riders to seamlessly share the vehicle,” the press release stated.

Farrell said the department felt it was necessary that Northeastern provide a safe way for off-campus students to get home at night.

“We realize that our students pay a lot in fees and tuition and the like, and we just thought it right to provide this service for them,” Farrell said. “Not only do they have the right to be safe, but also they should expect that their police department is going to do everything they can to make sure that they are safe at all times, including when they travel off campus.”

Graduate student Chandrakanth Chittappa said as an international student, he believes the RedEye app is extremely helpful.

“Especially for us international students who come from other countries, we don’t know which place is safe and which place is not safe,” he said.

Via currently has projects in 21 countries, as well as with Harvard University.

“Harvard University has had success in using Ride with Via,” Farrell said. “They’re all around the world offering safe transportation services.”

Editor’s Note: Chris Triunfo previously served on The News’ editorial board as city editor.