(From left) Tri-County Regional Planning Commission Executive Director Steve Deck, Harrisburg Police Deputy Chief Kenneth Young, and Commute PA Executive Director Matt Boyer at the “Sober Ride Home” press event.
A local organization is offering to be the designated driver for nights out downtown.
The Tri-County Regional Planning Commission (TCRPC) announced at a press conference on Tuesday the launch of its pilot program “Sober Ride Home,” which aims to lessen the number of impaired driving incidents by offering free rideshare vouchers for those consuming alcohol at local bars and restaurants.
“In our region, about 40% of fatal crashes and 30% of serious injury crashes involve impaired drivers,” TCRPC Executive Director Steve Deck said. “The majority of these crashes happen between Thursday and Saturday.”
Rideshare vouchers will be available on weekends via QR codes placed in bars and restaurants, and the code will direct users to the Uber app where the ride will be free. There is a maximum cost of $40, which Deck said covers about the distance from Harrisburg to Hershey. Vouchers will be offered in Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry counties. To start, users cannot exceed one voucher per day.
The program’s trial run is slated to begin before Labor Day and will run for a year, with a larger goal of implementing a permanent system in the future.
“People have tried things like this before and found it difficult to sustain over the long term,” Deck said. “That’s really one of the things that we hope to learn from this process, whether it’s public-private partnerships, a variety of different things—how do we make a program like this last?”
Project planning included efforts from the TCRPC, the Harrisburg Area Transportation Study (HATS), traffic reduction-focused nonprofit Commute PA, and a roughly $300,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration’s Safe Streets and Roads for All program. The grant will cover the full costs of operation, including the vouchers.
The Harrisburg Bureau of Police also supports the program, according to Deputy Chief Kenneth Young.
“This proposal, it’s an excellent idea,” Young said. “I’ve worked in the traffic unit for 15 of the 24 years I’ve been here, investigated fatal accidents, minor accidents. Anything we can do to bring those numbers down, we welcome that.”
To get their start, Deck said they intend to do outreach, such as tabling, placing posters in bars and restaurants and potentially online advertising. Commute PA Executive Director Matt Boyer encouraged any interested restaurants or establishments that serve alcohol and have an interest in the program to contact TCRPC.
“I’m looking forward to [trying] to make some positive impact on the Harrisburg area through this program,” Boyer said.
For more information, visit the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission’s website.
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