Harrisburg area holiday partygoers who might have had too much alcohol now have a new safe method to return home.
It’s also free.
The billboards around the area may have caught your attention. Now that it’s here, the Sober Ride Homeride service, offered by Uber, is a test program that will begin on Christmas Eve for customers of restaurants and clubs in Dauphin, Perry, and Cumberland counties.
On Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day, rides will be accessible. The service will be accessible Thursday through Sunday from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. starting on January 2, 2025.
The federally financed program’s goal is to lower the number of DUI accidents in the area. Impaired drivers are involved in 40% of crashes that result in fatalities and 30% of crashes that cause serious injuries. According to the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, a project partner, the majority of crashes happen during the hours the transportation service will be open.
The commission’s president, Andrew Bomberger, stated that the ultimate objective is to reduce DUI collisions and increase safety on local roads by providing accessible and safe transportation options.
Here’s how it works: After drinking at a bar or restaurant, people who need a ride home can visit the Sober Ride Home website to scan a QR code and get up to $40 in vouchers. Charges over forty dollars are the responsibility of the rider.
Rides are only accessible from a restaurant or bar to a home; they cannot be taken from a residence or between dining or drinking places. Riders must have a valid Uber account.
If it works, the program might be adopted in the long run, according to Bomberger.
For the 103 towns and about 600,000 citizens of the Harrisburg-Carlisle metropolitan area, TCRPC provides land use and transportation planning services.
Stories by
Amy Worden
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