Like many other government-sponsored initiatives, Lackawanna County's holiday Safe Ride program is feeling the pinch of shrinking budgets.
The popular program, which helps holiday imbibers get home safely by picking up the tab for cab rides from participating taverns, opens Friday and runs through Jan. 1.
It is a relatively late start for Safe Ride. In both 2010 and 2011, the Lackawanna/Susquehanna Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs launched Safe Ride on the day before Thanksgiving.
However, special grant funding previously funneled through the state Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs - money that the county office relied on to pay for Safe Ride - dried up this year, said Michele Smith, prevention supervisor.
There was talk of possibly shelving the program for 2012, but Ms. Smith said no one liked that option.
Banko North Inc., a partner in this year's Safe Ride effort along with the Lackawanna County Tavern Association and Maple City Taxi, came through with additional funding, she said.
"It would have been the first year in more than 25 years that we didn't have it, and, really, the public looks for it," Ms. Smith said. "It's been successful, and we try to work it out the best we can based on the funding we have.
"Instead of not running it, we would rather run it to some (limited) extent because we still feel we are making the roads safer when people are out during this season."
Last year, Safe Ride provided transportation home to about 700 people during the six weeks the program operated. Ms. Smith isn't certain what to expect this year with the shortened time frame.
About 200 of 510 taverns and other licensed establishments in the county participated in 2011, and Ms. Smith said her office is hoping a similar number will join the effort this year.
Establishments that want to participate may pick up their Safe Ride program materials beginning today at the Drug and Alcohol Programs office on the fifth floor of the Scranton Electric Building, 507 Linden St. To get a free ride, residents must request a voucher from a server at an establishment with a Safe Ride poster. All riders remain anonymous.
As in the past, each Safe Ride voucher is good for a taxi ride up to 15 miles within Lackawanna County only. The cab can take people only to their residences - not to another bar.
One change this year affects the time the service will be offered. The taxi company will accept requests for rides only until 2 a.m., which coincides with last call, Ms. Smith said.
"We thought that was fair," she said. "It also gets people starting to think that if they are going to take that Safe Ride, they may start preparing a little bit and not have another drink."
Ms. Smith said the biggest misconception about Safe Ride is that it is only for people who are "falling-down drunk." The fact is it is available to anyone whose driving ability may be impaired, she said.
"You can be impaired after one drink, and sometimes you don't realize how impaired you are until you get behind the wheel of a car. That's when it hits the person," she said. "If in any way you feel impaired, don't drive."
Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com