ASUCD recently announced it will bring back Thursday Tipsy Taxi service after it was cancelled in 2006. The fare will increase from $2 to $3.
While some promiscuously dressed partiers may struggle to find a place to keep the extra dollar, Thursday expansion, as proposed by senators Andre Lee and Matt Provencher, is a great way of meeting student needs. Despite the fare increase, Tipsy Taxi will run an annual deficit of $30,000 by design. This cost is minute compared to the benefit of keeping drunk drivers off the road.
The pilot program will only run half service on Thursdays, with just two buses on the road. Even though Thursday was the most popular night before it got cancelled, this is a smart start to see what business will be like this time around. We have no doubt, however, that this will be temporary and it will only be a matter of time until Thursday will have full Tipsy Taxi service.
Tipsy Taxi going back on the road on Thursdays also shows that the unit is improving. Hopefully, ASUCD and Tipsy Taxi can continue the good momentum from this move and continue to bring Tipsy Taxi into the 21st century by updating the ride request system. The current system to request a pick-up can be inefficient and slow if the phone lines are bogged down.
Both Lee and Provencher ran for Senate with the intention of bringing back Thursday service. It’s good to see ASUCD senators following through on their platform goals – a feat not every senator can say they have done.
