The Student Union proposal to let students pay for taxicabs using Convenience Points could indeed prove a boon for many students if its supporters succeed in convincing taxi companies and the university to adopt their plan. Still, the idea has the right spirit but is the wrong way of going about providing students with better late-night transportation.

The proposal, similar to a program at Boston College, would allow students to purchase their cab fares using Convenience Points — which ultimately end up on the student’s university account balance — in much the same way off-campus food providers like Domino’s Pizza use BU’s Dining Points. The problem is that students can still remain stranded late at night in areas where taxicabs do not stop or a call to a taxi service results in a long wait for the ride. Students need more transportation options — not more ways to pay for the same unreliable service.

A better alternative would provide students with a university-run shuttle service similar to the now-defunct Escort Security Service van, paid for with a nominal fee if need be. In any case, the Union must provide more details about its research of BC’s program and its talks with the administration before rashly pushing ahead with this proposal.