
New Jersey town first in U.S. to use Uber to curb drunken driving - Oatseller
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/23/us-new-jersey-drunken-driving-idUSKCN0SH21M20151023
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pmorici
Out 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.

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monksy
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.

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pmorici
You are missing the point. If you are someone who depends on Uber for your
income and someone does something in your car that puts it out of commission
even if it is only say 5% of people it can have a major effect on your income.

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drglitch
This 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...](http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/news/too-drunk-to-drive-palm-beach-
police-will-give-you-a-lift-6445648)

~~~
ryanlol
In many European countries this is a very regular occurrence too, instead of
taking drunks to jail the police take them home.

Although, this isn't a service you can request over the phone... just an
(probably better) alternative to taking people to jail and charging them with
public intoxication or whatever.

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josephpmay
USC offers free Uber to students when traveling at night in the surrounding
neighborhood. They've had a car service since the 70's, but before Uber it was
a pain-in-the-ass to use. As a result, nobody drives drunk.

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danso
What'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?

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HappyTypist
Uber has a $5 million dollar insurance policy so that's your answer.

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monksy
As 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)

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forrestthewoods
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.

~~~
hugh4
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.

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endianswap
Isn't it still beneficial to the folks walking home that there are fewer
drunks on the road? May not justify the full subsidy but certainly would cover
part.

