New Year’s Eve: SoberRide Will Help You Get Home

Big New Year’s Eve plans? Plan on someone else to do the driving if you have been drinking.

The nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) is offering free taxi rides via SoberRide.

In an effort to decrease drunk driving, the holiday SoberRide program has been operating 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly this holiday season.  Patrons can get a free (up to $30) cab ride home  by calling 1-800-200-TAXI. AT&T customers can dial #WRAP from their wireless phones.

Last December, nearly 2,000 greater Washington residents used the service, said WRAP officials. On New Year’s Eve alone, 387 people took advantage of SoberRide — which WRAP president Kurt Gregory Erickson says removed a would-be drunk driver from the roadways every 74 seconds.

Things to know:

• WRAP’s SoberRide provides a free cab ride home up to a $30 fare. Callers are financially responsible for anything over $30.
• You must be 21 or older to use the service.
• You can’t reserve a SoberRide or schedule a pickup in advance. To receive a ride, you must call 1-800-200-8294 (TAXI) during the program hours. A SoberRide call operator will direct your request to the correct participating cab company.

• Calls must be from Washington;  Virginia: Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William and eastern Loudoun counties; or in the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas and Manassas Park; Maryland: Montgomery and Prince George’s counties; or in the cities of Rockville, Bowie, College Park, Gaithersburg, Greenbelt and Takoma Park.

WRAP’s SoberRide program has provided 58,576 free cab rides home to would-be drunk drivers in the greater Washington area since 1993.

The service is also offered on St. Patrick’s Day, Independence Day and Halloween. For more information, visit the WRAP website.