Northwestern students navigating campus after dark might find it easier to get around as Escort Service gets ready to implement new dispatch technology.

The system will use the Global Positioning System to track each car, making the average wait shorter and eliminating the longest waits, officials said.

“(The technology) should increase the efficiency of the system by giving us a better handle on the location of each vehicle and where students need to be picked up,” said William Banis, NU’s vice president for student affairs.

With the new technology, which administrators said they hope to purchase and implement in the next few weeks, dispatchers will send text messages to drivers instead of using conventional walkie-talkie phones.

The information from the text — including the driver’s next destination, number of riders and time of call — will be automatically registered in a database, allowing the service to easily compute statistics, measure efficiency and direct traffic.

“We’re still exploring a computer system that would work most effectively with Escort Service,” said Andrew Hinderaker, the Escort Service administrator. “We’re looking at all the different options.”

Escort Service has been upgrading its technology gradually since Fall Quarter after a string of attacks made student transportation a priority for university administrators, Hinderaker said.

“It’s not like we are going from something that is pure paper and pencil to something that is high tech,” he said. “It’s a gradual change.”

The volume of calls to Escort Service increased Fall Quarter, but Hinderaker said safety concerns were not the only reason for the increase. Colder weather can lead to more students using the service.

In addition to the new technology, the service also is hiring more drivers and recently moved its center of operation from Allison Hall to Elder Hall.

“The office is really better suited to our needs,” Hinderaker said. “We had some difficulties with computer connections in Allison Hall, and (Elder) is just better space. There are more options for parking the vehicles, so (the drivers) can get off right at the start time.”

Since late Fall Quarter, Escort Service has hired about 12 new employees, Hinderaker said. Hiring will continue on a rolling basis throughout the quarter.

Because the service operates during fixed hours and at night, Hinderaker said, there is no limit to the number of student drivers the service can add to its nearly 40-person payroll.

As Escort Service continues to alter its operations, Hinderaker said, safety will remain the driving force of the improvements.

“The No. 1, overarching goal of Escort has always been to provide a safe ride,” he said. “Any time you enhance the efficiency and reliability of the system, you’re going to achieve that goal more effectively.”