I am a Ram Van driver, and I have always wondered about cameras in the van and their exact purpose. After having the chance to meet with the director of Fordham University Transportation, Plinio Gonzalez, it is clear to me that the “Samsara” recording system, installed in all of the university’s Ram Vans, is a necessary feature for the safety of passengers and drivers. 

Ram Van conducts over 250,000 trips between campuses annually and currently employs approximately 125 student workers, with new drivers being trained continuously. The university needed a way to track the vans when they were not on campus. Thus, the university started using Samsara in 2017 as a way of tracking vehicles. They later implemented artificial intelligence (AI) in 2020. The AI feature uses facial recognition to identify drivers and tracks the van’s location along with other metrics, including accidents, speed, following distance, driver drowsiness, driver inattentiveness, seat belt usage and harsh braking. The system saves footage when one of these events occurs and sends it to the office for review. Only the administrators can see this footage, and Gonzalez said that footage is not saved unless an incident occurs. Unless administrators need to download the footage of an incident, it is deleted after 45 days. 

The Samsara system has dramatically improved all aspects of the service. To start off, Gonzalez reported that parents say they feel a lot more comfortable with their kids being driven by students in New York City traffic when they hear that a camera is monitoring their driving. Another benefit is that the cameras help keep insurance costs down. According to Gonzalez, insurance companies were initially hesitant to insure a fleet of vehicles driven by college students, and for good reason. The data shows that younger drivers are more dangerous. A study published by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and AAA Foundation For Traffic Safety (AAA FTS) showed drivers between the ages of 16 and 24 have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age. The installation of a video monitoring system makes insurance companies more comfortable with insuring the Ram Vans, Gonzalez said. When an accident happens, having a video record also makes it easier to determine precisely which driver was at fault, which in turn keeps costs down. Most importantly, passengers’ feelings of safety remain consistently high. Every year, Ram Van sends out anonymous surveys to track performance. Last year, the surveys reported that 97% of students felt safe riding the vans, according to the Fordham Department of Transportation’s internal records. 

On a personal note, knowing the Samsara cameras are there makes the experience of working for Ram Van and being a passenger feel much safer. Knowing that there will be video recording if anything unexpected happens takes away a lot of the stress that comes with the job. By adding this layer of safety, it makes me more confident as a driver, making the experience safer for everyone in the van and other drivers on the road. When riding as a passenger in the van, it makes the experience more enjoyable, knowing that the driver is extra motivated to drive as safely as possible. 

Overall, Samsara is essential to all aspects of the Ram Van. Gonzalez says the whole goal is to defy expectations and make it clear that “it is possible for college students to drive [a fleet of] vans at all times of the day and [do so] incredibly safely.” With Samsara, the university can confidently say that the trips between Rose Hill and Lincoln Center are as safe as possible. While driving in New York City can be unpredictable, having the Samsara system in place reassures everyone, from students to insurance companies to parents, and keeps the service as safe as possible. As both a driver and a passenger, I appreciate the university’s commitment to making safety the top priority by providing a secure and reliable experience for everyone on the road.