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MEMORIAL DAY PARTY: How to get a safe ride home

Posted at 1:54 AM, May 26, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-26 01:54:19-04

Are you or your friends planning to party during the Memorial Day holiday weekend?  If so, you will want to keep this information handy to make sure everyone gets home safely.

"We urge everyone celebrating with alcohol to understand the gravity of their choices and make other arrangements before their first drink," said Gerry Gutowski, Senior Vice President, Automotive Services, The Auto Club Group.

AAA strongly recommends you have a Designated Driver or arranging for another form of sober transportation.

DESIGNATED DRIVER

A designated driver is a person who abstains from alcohol on a social occasion (such as a Memorial Day cookout) in order to drive his or her companions home safely as an alternative to driving under the influence.

TECO LINE STREETCAR

The TECO Line Streetcar System runs on rails that connects Ybor City, Channelside and Downtown Tampa. The streetcar line operates until at least 10:00 p.m., except on Sundays when service stops at 8:00 p.m. Late night service until 2:00 a.m. is available on Fridays and Saturdays. More Info: www.tecolinestreetcar.org.

TAXI, CAB SERVICES

Taking a cab or taxi is also a good alternative to driving during any holiday. To find a car service near you, download a cab-finding app like Curb: www.gocurb.com.

Polk County:
Checker Cab Co. (863) 665-8151
Polk County Taxi (863) 521-2924

Hillsborough County:
Yellow Cab (813) 253-0121
Cab Plus (813) 288-8888
United Taxi Car Service (877) 288-2672

Pasco County:
Express Cab (727) 226-3822
Signature Car Service (727) 834-4444
Adventure Cab Express (727) 637-1069

Pinellas County:
United Taxi (727) 777-7777
Coral Cab (727) 215-0429
Downtown Yellow Taxi (727) 379-4440
Yellow Cab (727) 204-4212

UBER, LYFT

Ride-sharing is becoming more and more popular.  When there is high demand, Uber uses surge pricing. Fares can increase significantly during the busiest time of the night.

Riders who use rival Lyft will also see a version of Uber's price surge, called "Prime Time."

Uber: www.uber.com

Lyft: www.lyft.com

TOW-TO-GO

AAA's free "Tow-to-go" service is active for the entire Memorial Day weekend. Whether you are a AAA member or not, you can call for a Tow to Go ride anytime starting Friday, May 27 through 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31. AAA will safely get you and your vehicle home or somewhere safe within 10 miles.

Call 1-855-2-TOW-2-GO (855-286-9246)

Since it started in 1998, Tow to Go has safely removed 24,000 impaired drivers from the roads.  The service is designed to be used as a last resort to keep drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel.