Free Designated Driver Program through Uber Expands to Voorhees Area
A program that is currently being offered in Evesham Township, NJ that offers free rides home for bar hoppers has been expanded to the neighboring area of Voorhees, this announcement coming last Tuesday and featured on NJ.com. The shuttle service program, being called the “Evesham Saving Lives Program,” started in September and works in partnership with the nationwide taxi service Uber. This program makes any trip that starts at a bar or dinking establishment and ends in the township free.
The Evesham Celebrations foundation helps to fund the program through donations from local restaurants and bars as well as through private donations. According to the Mayor of Evesham, Randy Brown, the number of arrests from drunk driving have been reduced by over 60 percent since the program began and more than 800 residents have taken advantage of the program. “Since we started the program in September,” Brown said, “we’ve had two DUI arrests of residents. Two.”
With the expansion of the Evesham Saving Lives Program, the residents of Voorhees will also reap the benefits of the Uber program. In addition, residents from both areas have the option to get a free ride home from any location in the neighboring town. Starting on December 18, anyone who opens the Uber app and is at one of the almost 30 sponsored locations will see an additional option at the bottom of the screen that features safe rides and these rides will be free for both Evesham and Voorhees residents.
The free rides offered to these residents are available through the peak drinking times of 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. and offer the additional feature called “Be my DD” that gives users the option to get their vehicle home safely as well if they need to. According to Mayor Brown, the cost of the program fluctuates from one month to the next, but overall the $10,000 that has been raised through the Celebrations Foundation alone is enough funding for many free rides for the next several months.
Currently, the Saving Lives Program will be available in Voorhees for a period of 30 days, but the mayors of both areas have said that, although the program is only scheduled to remain in place until the middle of January, they are both hopeful and committed that the program will be extended. “As Long as I am Evesham Mayor, we’re going to keep this program running,” Brown said.
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