Students looking for a ride home after a night of fun have more options than Uber or a traditional taxi, thanks to the Mississippi State University Student Association. A newly bolstered SA initiative, Cowbell Cabs, offers a more financially accessible way for these students to get home safely.
According to the SA’s website, the Cowbell Cabs free taxi service is available to all MSU students from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday excepting home football game weekends. Students can call the service and will be driven for free, along with one guest, back to their place of residence from any establishment in Starkville. 
Jake Manning, the SA president, said the goal of the service is to provide a safe transportation option for students. 
 “It’s ultimately a safe ride service. We do not want people getting around unsafely, whether that be drunk and intoxicated, whether that be walking home by themselves. It is to get students from point A to point B safely and make sure they are secure,” Manning said. 
According to Jaqueline Mullen, the assistant dean of Students and director for Student Activities and Sorority/Fraternity Life, Cowbell Cabs does not just exist to make MSU students safer, there is a convenience factor at play too. Those who want to use it for any reason at all are not prohibited from doing so. 
 “We are proud of Cowbell Cabs and how it provides a safe way for students to get home whether they are out enjoying dinner with friends or studying for a big exam,” Mullen said. “Cowbell Cabs offers a more convenient way for students who need a ride home to get one instead of waiting for a shuttle at a bus stop. We have seen the program grow each year where more students are using these cabs each year.”
According to Manning, Cowbell Cabs has performed well recently, as the service’s three 15-seater vans have consistently reached maximum capacity. With this in mind, he professed his hope to secure more funding from the service’s backers (The President’s Office and the city of Starkville) by demonstrating the need for more vans. Manning also said Cowbell Cabs has become a larger priority for the Student Association and that he personally hopes to grow it into a much more widely known and used service within the MSU community. 
Cassie Shields, a junior wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture major, said Cowbell Cabs is very important for students in tight financial situations. 
“As a college student, I know how hard it can be financially. So, I think a free transportation service is a great idea, especially on the weekends. Students can’t survive college anymore without a job, and some students are in a situation where they have no way to get around independently,” Shields said.  
Cameron Moffat, a senior physics major, also thinks Cowbell Cabs is a very beneficial service. 
“I think it’s good that Cowbell Cabs is available to students who may need it,” Moffat said. “It seems like a safe, convenient way to get home after a night out.”
Students can call a Cowbell Cab at 662-813-0084.