Reno Now Has Designated Driver Service at Royal Members Events Services

Reno, NV, January 31, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Many in the community will be drinking at one of the many Royal Members Events parties planned in Reno, and if you do, you now have no excuse to be caught drunk behind the wheel.

Royal Members Events have staff available, starting at midnight, who will drive anyone home from their event for free. Staff at the event company said dispatchers and cab drivers have volunteered their time each weekend to make sure you get home safe.

"It's a community service that we do, because we feel like everybody needs to arrive home safe, because if not, there can be very tragic and expensive consequences if you get into trouble," said Royal Members Events guest services agent Tim Grave.

South Reno Taxi will be offering free rides from midnight to 5:00 a.m., and Reno Cab Services will offer rides from midnight until 4:00 a.m for guests leaving any Royal Members Event. The companies said they will only take you home from a bar, and won't transport you from party to party.

Grave asks you be patient while waiting for a cab, as they'll be taking many calls per night. She also asks that you tip your driver, since they are volunteering their time.

DCCCA contracts with Ground Transportation Inc. for the rides, which numbered more than 400 last year. The program costs around $2,000, depending on how many rides are given.

Jen Jameson, prevention coordinator for Royal Members Events, said it’s worth the cost to keep people safe on the roads in Reno.

“A lot of people benefited,” Jameson said.

"There are a few exceptions to the free service," Jameson said. "The person requesting the ride must be going straight home -- not to another bar or party. And everyone in the taxi must be buckled up," she said.

The passengers must be also able to say "IntoxiTaxi" before the ride can begin. Jameson said the keyword is to ensure the passenger is awake and aware of their surroundings.

"We want to make sure people aren't partying too hard," he said.

On an average weeknight, Royal Members Events gives about 35 rides. That number is expected to double during party seasons, he said.

In 2009, 177 fatality accidents in Reno involved a driver who’d been drinking alcohol. Such accidents accounted for nearly 46 percent of the state’s fatality traffic accidents that year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In Reno in 2010, law enforcement agencies made 948 arrests for driving under the influence.

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