One New Jersey town is hoping to solve its drunk driving problem with free Ubers

(Image credit: Adam Berry/Getty Images)

published 26 October 2015

What's worse than surge pricing on your Uber home after a night of drinking? Well, driving home drunk — and one town in New Jersey is trying to eliminate the decision between your wallet and your safety altogether by providing its residents with free Uber rides.

Evesham Township, located just outside Philadelpha in New Jersey, is paying for its residents to take Ubers (or rides from another service called BeMyDD) home from the bars. If the ride starts at one of 19 bars or restaurants in the area, ends at an Evesham address, and takes place between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m., the town will cover the fare thanks to donor-supplied funds.

Evesham Township had a grave drunk driving problem, Reuters reports, with the town of 45,000 people on track to reach a record 250 DUI arrests in 2015. "We're dealing with people who might've had too much to drink," Evesham Mayor Randy Brown said. "We needed to make it so easy for them to open their iPhone and push a button." The program is currently slated to run only through Jan. 2, 2016 — and let's face it, sloppily using your phone to order an Uber is a much better use of your inebriated energy than drunk texting something you'll really regret.