GOSHEN – Dana Distributors’ 29th annual Alert Cab program goes into effect New Year’s Eve, offering free cab rides home to people in Orange, Sullivan and Rockland who think they may have had too much to drink at their local watering hole to get home safely.
At least 20 cab companies in those three counties have committed to providing the free cab ride within a 10 mile distance from 4 p.m. New Year’s Eve through 4 a.m. on New Year’s Day.
Police chiefs, sheriffs, a district attorney and other law enforcement officials Wednesday praised the program and Dana’s continued commitment to the community and its safety.
Port Police Chief William Worden, president of the Police Chiefs Association of Orange County, urged people to drink responsibly and pay the consequences otherwise.
“Making a choice to get into a car to start it while you are drinking and partying is a choice you make and a choice you have to live with,” Worden said. “We encourage you. Go out, have a good time and enjoy the new year, but be responsible and make that choice wisely because if you fail to make the right choice you can see the contingent of local, county and state police that will be out there to make sure the public is safe. I can promise you that if you don’t make the right choice, we will give you a ride, but it won’t be to your home. It will be to our police stations and then to the custody of the sheriff.”
The Alert Cab program is also available on Super Bowl Sunday, St. Patrick’s Day and Thanksgiving.
