Free Rides Offered In Westchester, Rockland On New Year's Eve
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - As many as 20,000 people are expected to ring in the new year in White Plains on Monday. The celebration will feature fireworks and a ball drop.
Again this year, extra efforts are being rolled out to prevent intoxicated people from getting behind the wheel.
WCBS 880's Peter Haskell reports
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"I can tell you that in White Plains, if you do drink and drive, you are very likely to wind up spending the night someplace that will be a lot less comfortable than your home," Mayor Tom Roach told WCBS 880's Peter Haskell.
White Plains-based beer maker Heineken is offering free taxi service as part of its 'New Year. Safe Ride' program.
"You would come to the corner of East Post Road and Mamaroneck Avenue. There'll be ambassadors there with Safe Ride signage. You get in the queue and they put you in a car service and send you home for free," Heineken spokewoman Stacey Tank said. "The rides are free anywhere in Westchester County."
The free rides are available between 11 p.m. Monday and 3 a.m. Tuesday to those of legal drinking age.
The Heineken free ride program began in Westchester in 2007.
"As an ER nurse, I can tell you that some of the alcohol-related fatalities and injuries are truly horrifying," Ertha Small Nicolas, a nurse from White Plains Hospital, said.
Alcohol-related emergency room visits typically double on New Year's Day, according to Nicolas.
In Rockland, T.J. McGowan Sons Funeral Home in Haverstraw will offer free rides for the third straight New Year's Eve, according to the Journal News.
The funeral home will pick up revelers in Haverstraw and Stony Point and drop them off anywhere in north Rockland through 4 a.m., the paper reported.
Their slogan is "let us drive you now instead of later." The number to call for a ride is 845-429-2130.
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