OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A new partnership will help provide more free rides home to people who’ve been drinking.
Monday, the Wisconsin Tavern League announced it will work with ride-sharing app, called Lyft. The joint venture got its roots in Brown County.
At his Green Bay bar Richard Craniums, Don Mjelde offers SafeRides to his customers.
He tells WLUK that recently he started working with Lyft to expand the program.
“I’ve been using it for the past three months and it’s been working quite well.”
As the president of the Brown County Tavern League Mjelde convinced six other bar owners to try it too. It’s been so successful the Wisconsin Tavern League decided to partner with Lyft for SafeRides statewide.
“Sometimes it’s quicker, cost means are, generally, similar, sometimes a little bit less through Lyft and we appreciate everything the cab services are doing, this just offers a supplemental way to get people home during saturated times as well.”
Much like you can request a personal Lyft through your phone using the app, Mjelde says bar employees can request rides for customers using a business account on a table or a computer.
“Keeping on the cutting edge and getting the SafeRide program up to speed on these technological advancements is essential.”
Soon any bars that are tavern league members, in an area served by Lyft can join the program, but it will not be a requirement.
The Lyft rides will be free for customers, just like the current cab rides.
Pete Madland, the executive director of the state tavern league says it will take some time before the program becomes wide spread.
“It’s gonna take some education. It’s gonna take some time for people to get in the habit of doing things differently. Not only bar owners, but, also, their patrons.”
He and Mjelde say SafeRides are extremely important and this move will make them better.
“We’ve seen a 50% drop in alcohol-related fatalities in the last eight years and we like to think that our SafeRide program has a lot to do with that,” said Madland.
“There’s been 83,000 SafeRides home last year in the state a lone. That’s over 225 a day,” added Mjelde.
