Athens bar patrons will soon be afforded alternative transportation back to their houses that will save a lot of green — both in customer’s wallets and in the environment.
Starting April 11, GreenCab will be offering a free ride back program to residents who are too inebriated to drive.
GreenCab will drive customers to their places of residence, giving them a redeemable card that can be used the next day for a free trip back to their car, according to a release from GreenCab.
Customers must pay only for the return trip home, said owner John Rinaldi, adding that GreenCab offers a $3 flat-rate fee for trips between South Shafer Street, East State Street, Carpenter Street and the Hocking River. Elsewhere in Athens, the flat rate is $6, he said.
Classic Brands partnered with GreenCab to provide financial assistance for the program, said Mark Bisang, Classic Brands general manager.
“We’re trying to curb and stop drinking while driving, so we’re working with (GreenCab) to offset some of their costs,” Bisang said.
Rinaldi agreed, adding that combatting drunken driving was a powerful force behind the creation of the program.
“Our motto is, ‘Safe, Green and Clean,’ ” Rinaldi said. “I want to support that initiative and put safety first and foremost.”
With the number of bars in Athens, Rinaldi said he thinks the program will be successful in attracting customers.
“Because of the amount of drinking in Athens, I thought it was a real good fit,” Rinaldi said. “Similar programs are highly successful in other larger city markets so we want to give it a try here.”
The program discourages excessive drinking by making a two-use-per-month limit for customers, Rinaldi said.
“It’s not meant to be a nightly thing,” he said. “We’ll limit it to two uses a month. Every once in a while if you have too much to drink, we’ll come take care of you and (take you) back to your place.”
GreenCab currently has three cars, but Rinaldi said that the success he’s experienced since starting the business six months ago is translating to the acquisition of more cars and future growth.
“We have been really successful, and the driving force is the fares,” Rinaldi said. “It’s definitely used a lot for single travellers and we’re moving a lot of people from point A to point B.”
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