Two UT freshmen released an app version of Sure Walk earlier this semester, providing students with new features beyond the Sure Walk Google form currently in use.

Sure Walk is a campus service that students can request to accompany them back home. If a student is within a certain boundary map around campus, two Sure Walkers can walk them back home or provide a cart or car ride back to their requested location. Sure Walk is generally operated through a Google form, but two students sought to improve its features by creating an app for requests.

One of the app’s creators Aasritha Maddisetty said one of the biggest issues for Sure Walk users is uncertainty about when walkers will arrive after using the form. As a result, students would end up walking to their location unaccompanied, defeating the purpose of requesting a Sure Walker.

“When I walked in (Sure Walk’s office), I was like, ‘Hey, I’d really love to make this app a real thing if you guys would be interested,’” business honors freshman Maddisetty said. “They were very supportive. The staff members and the students that worked there were good about getting input in.” 

According to UT’s Sure Walk website, Sure Walk is not affiliated with nor does it endorse any Sure Walk app. Pranav Bhuvanagiri, computer science freshman and the app’s other creator, said the app is currently undergoing UT approval from Parking and Transportation services. Once approved, the app will use UT EIDs to verify students’ identities, which they said will likely happen during the next academic year. 

Maddisetty was inspired to create the app after a business communications class project that required her to find something that needed to be improved at UT. She reached out to Bhuvanagiri to help create the mock-up for her presentation.

“I spent the entire winter break just making the application, and then as soon as we got back, we started testing it out,” Bhuvanagiri said. “Once we (published) the app, we did our release here at Jester West.”

The app can save users’ details and trip history and provides a queue system while users wait, Bhuvanagiri said. 

In the future, the creators said they hope to create an administration panel for Sure Walk employees so they have a better way to manage rides. They are also working on algorithms that would choose the best locations for the Sure Walk vehicles to park, Bhuvanagiri said.

“The biggest goal for us is trying to make sure that everyone that’s using Sure Walk is satisfied that they’re getting their rides on time, that they’re not missing time and that they’re informed,” Maddisetty said.