More students mean more injuries, and the Tempe campus’ Mobility Services is feeling the pain.

The service, which transports students on campus with permanent or temporary physical disabilities, has struggled to meet a sharp increase in demand this semester, program supervisor Jim Morin said.

Morin said the service was designed for about 15 student employees to handle 45 to 60 calls per day, but this semester they have been responding to about 80 a day.

“It has been consistent from day one,” Morin said. “More people are hearing about us, as well as more people are getting hurt.”

The fall semester is typically busier because of more high-contact sports, but this increase is much larger than anticipated, he said.

“It’s been challenging this semester,” he said. “We haven’t seen a jump this big from year to year.”

Morin said the change in class times also had a significant impact this semester.

“We were aware that they would add five minutes between classes … however, we were not aware that they would be staggering the start times,” he said.

Last semester, most Tempe classes started at the same times, but now many start 10 minutes apart, which has employees making several more trips to pick people up, he said.

“We’ve had to increase staff just to handle that situation,” Morin said. “It’s essentially doubling or tripling the trips we need to take.”

With coverage stretching from Mill Avenue to Rural Road and Lot 59 to Apache Boulevard, Morin said Mobility Services is not always able to get students to class on time.

Drivers often pick up several students and drive through busy parts of campus, so they cannot guarantee prompt service, he said.

“We have to balance between demand and safety, and safety is the No. 1 issue,” Morin said. “That’s always our priority.”

Political science senior Amy Auerbach, who is in her third year working with the service, said safety becomes a big issue with so many students on campus.

“Communication between movement is difficult,” she said. “It’s like a dance.”

Students texting or listening to music are often distracted and do not see or hear the golf carts on campus, Auerbach said.

She said several students have walked into stationary carts, but employees make sure not to hit anybody while they are driving.

“We’re not going to risk anyone’s life to get someone to class,” she said.

But getting students to class has been especially difficult with increased demand this semester.

Auerbach said she has seen more students with long-term injuries this semester, which means they need the service for a longer period of time.

“I’m not sure what it is, though,” she said. “It must be something in the water.”

She said she has noticed consistent spikes in injuries after vacations, long weekends and big events.

She explains this trend with what she calls the Little Jake Rule: “It’s not your fault; it’s not my fault. It just happens.”

The service has had to turn some students away because of demand, Auerbach said, but they do what they can to pick up everyone who needs it.

“All too often you see people with a heavy backpack and crutches on campus,” she said.

Mobility Services operates from 7:10 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. Monday through Friday. Students must schedule all rides at least three days in advance and have a doctor’s note to be eligible for the service, Morin said.

“We do everything we can to accommodate [students], but we’re just limited,” he said. “We don’t want to schedule a ride if we know we aren’t going to get them.”

Morin said he expects less demand in the spring, which is typical, and he said the service’s budget is likely to remain stable.

Reach the reporter at adam.sneed@asu.edu.