New Jersey town first in U.S. to use Uber to curb drunken driving
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Re: New Jersey town first in U.S. to use Uber to curb drunken driving
#2As much as I love this idea, my concern about this is that it may encourage individuals to rely on this as a way home.
I think that this should be an indication that safe transport back home is needed during drinking hours. (Big cities have this convered via public transport)
Re: New Jersey town first in U.S. to use Uber to curb drunken driving
#3Out of curiosity I gave driving for Uber a try during weekends for a few weeks last year. This article brings two thoughts to mind.
First I had a more than one passenger tell me during my time driving that prior to Uber they would regularly drive home after drinking from parties because they just couldn't get a cab in areas they were often in.
Second, driving drunk people is the absolute worst. Even if they don't puke in your car they are a pain to deal with[1], and less considerate of your vehicle in general. Having to deal with them one too many times was what lead me to stop driving at together. I initially found driving to be a fun way to interact with random people I wouldn't normally meet but the drunks killed it for me.
[1] During the few weekends I did it I had one drunk guy puke in my car second ride of the evening. Another belligerently refuse to tell me their location when the GPS showed them in a spot that was not near any road and become verbally abusive when I couldn't find them. Another stash a half open can of beer in the back seat pocket spilling beer all over the car. Uber pays for cleaning but they don't pay for lost income stemming for your car being out of commission until you can get it cleaned. I couldn't imagine having to rely on driving for any significant portion of my income under those working conditions.
Re: New Jersey town first in U.S. to use Uber to curb drunken driving
#4As much as I love this idea, my concern about this is that it may encourage individuals to rely on this as a way home. I think that this should be an indication that safe transport back home is needed during drinking hours. (Big cities have this convered via public transport)
I wonder how much of a bar tax would be required to cover the bill. If it encourages more people to go out drinking more often it might be a net financial benefit. You could even pitch it as a jobs program.
Re: New Jersey town first in U.S. to use Uber to curb drunken driving
#5What's the liability to the city if someone gets hurt while in an Uber-cab sponsored by the city? I don't mean driver maliciousness, I mean any kind of accident that an Uber driver might get into?
If someone relies on public transport and gets injured, the city may be liable if there's some wrongdoing/negligence. But is it different if it's through Uber?
Re: New Jersey town first in U.S. to use Uber to curb drunken driving
#6As much as I love this idea, my concern about this is that it may encourage individuals to rely on this as a way home. I think that this should be an indication that safe transport back home is needed during drinking hours. (Big cities have this convered via public transport)
I wonder how much of a bar tax would be required to cover the bill. If it encourages more people to go out drinking more often it might be a net financial benefit. You could even pitch it as a jobs program.
It would need to be sufficient that the average noggt's drinking is made more expensive by the cost of the average Uber ride.
So those who choose to drink within walking distance will massively subsidise those who choose to come in from out of town.
Re: New Jersey town first in U.S. to use Uber to curb drunken driving
#7As much as I love this idea, my concern about this is that it may encourage individuals to rely on this as a way home. I think that this should be an indication that safe transport back home is needed during drinking hours. (Big cities have this convered via public transport)
I'd prefer to see chronic drunk drivers stop doing so and rely on something like this instead. I suspect the cost of paying for taxis will be less than the cost of all the emergency services, post crash analysis, and road modifications when someone is killed on the road. ( The average cost is 4.3 million per fatality according to the National Safety Council http://blog.safeauto.com/how-much-do-car-accidents-cost-the-... )
[edit for typo fix]
Re: New Jersey town first in U.S. to use Uber to curb drunken driving
#8Out of curiosity I gave driving for Uber a try during weekends for a few weeks last year. This article brings two thoughts to mind. First I had a more than one passenger tell me during my time driving that prior to Uber they would regularly drive home after drinking from parties because they just couldn't get a cab in areas they were often in. Second, driving drunk people is the absolute worst. Even if they don't puk…
Why didn't you just continue driving outside of times people normally leave bars/clubs?
Re: New Jersey town first in U.S. to use Uber to curb drunken driving
#9This reminds me of a program in Florida (and few other cities?) where police gives free rides to drunk people back from bars. http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/news/too-drunk-to-drive-palm...
Re: New Jersey town first in U.S. to use Uber to curb drunken driving
#10Out of curiosity I gave driving for Uber a try during weekends for a few weeks last year. This article brings two thoughts to mind. First I had a more than one passenger tell me during my time driving that prior to Uber they would regularly drive home after drinking from parties because they just couldn't get a cab in areas they were often in. Second, driving drunk people is the absolute worst. Even if they don't puk…
2 things:
1. Not all drunks are bad. Yes there are bad apples. Rate them badly. 2. Uber can and will deny someone from using uber.