COLUMBUS – Anheuser-Busch, ride-sharing company Lyft and the City of Columbus are teaming up to combat drunk driving with a program that is aimed at going beyond just raising awareness.
Starting Thursday and continuing through Dec. 31, Anheuser-Busch will offer up to 2,000 round-trip Lyft rides each weekend to help people get safely to and from bars, festivals, games and other events as part of the Columbus City Pilot to Reduce Harmful Drinking initiative, a safe rides and law enforcement program that encourages partiers to plan ahead for safe transportation, according to a joint statement from the companies and the city.
CBUS SAFE RIDES: Lt. Paul Weiner-CPD Traffic Unit says @AnheuserBusch grant will add xtra officers on DUI patrol 4 #OSU football days & more pic.twitter.com/KvhCiJi9rV
— Columbus Division of Police (@ColumbusPolice) September 7, 2017
The first weekend coincides with Ohio State’s first home football game of the season, a Top 5 matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners that begins at 7:30 p.m. at Ohio Stadium.
As the first program in the global effort to reduce the harmful use of alcohol, Anheuser-Busch will share a unique ride code on its Facebook and Instagram pages every Thursday at 2:00 p.m., which followers 21 years of age and older can use to claim a Lyft credit for two $15 one-way rides to use that weekend. Participants can take the round-trip rides anytime between 5:00 p.m. that Thursday through 5:00 a.m. that Sunday, then check back the following Thursday for a new ride code.
On these same weekends, the partners will also work with local law enforcement to increase police patrols during high crash risk times to encourage the responsible consumption of alcohol.