Had a little too much to drink? Here's hoping you've been partying around New Jersey's Evesham Township, located in the southern part of the state. If so, you're in luck. If you've been tossing them back at one of 19 different drinking locations, then you'll be able to get a ride home absolutely free. Uber will provide the vehicles and the rides, which is the first major partnership between the company and a U.S. municipality in this fashion.
According to a report from Reuters, Evesham Township was "on track" to reach around 250 or so DUI arrests this year, which would have been the largest number ever recorded for the town. The partnership with Uber, which kicked off in September, dropped the average number of monthly DUI arrests from 23 to eight—a pretty clear sign of the program's success.
As for the logistics, Evesham Township pays for the program itself. To request a free ride, you have to be at one of 19 different establishments, and the program is only valid between the hours of 9 p.m. and 2 a.m.—no day drinking for you. You also have to be using Uber to get to an actual residence within Evesham Township. So, no, you can't just get a free ride to another bar.
"We began working with [Evesham Township Mayor Randy Brown] through our national partner, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and realized it was the perfect opportunity to use our technology to help take drunk drivers off the road," said Ana Mahony, Uber's general manager for New Jersey, in a statement provided to Reuters.
So far, the partnership between Uber and Evesham Township is scheduled to run through January 2. However, it's been so successful, that some local businesses and nonprofits have donated funds to support a second, similar program that kicked off this Friday. Dubbed "BeMyDD," the program allows a person to hire a driver to help get them and their cars home. That driver comes with a partner, who then drives the driver home once he or she is done dropping you and your car off. Complicated, but convenient.
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According to Reuters, Uber is allegedly considering forming partnerships with other towns to help keep the streets a little bit safer at night.
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