It’s part of a countywide program between the Metropolitan Transit System, North County Transit District and law enforcement agencies.
Priya Bhat-Patel, vice chair of the North County Transit District, said the program aims to get people safely to and from their New Year's Eve destinations.
“We have free parking at all our stations, so that’s hopefully one inconvenience solved,” she said. “Also when people get on, there’ll be many schedules in terms of having different stops. We have seven different stations across the county.”
New Year’s Eve is traditionally one of the busiest nights of the year for DUIs, and extra police will be on duty to help monitor the county’s roads. Electronic messaging boards displaying reminders about driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs have also been installed throughout San Diego.
Police also warned about the dangers of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines, which can equally impair a person’s ability to drive safely. Brian Pennings, public information sergeant at California Highway Patrol, said New Year's Eve is a "maximum enforcement period."
“We have every available resource deployed for this weekend for maximum enforcement," he said. "We’re going to be looking for distracted and DUI drivers, and we’re going to try and keep our roadways as safe as possible”.
The program was positively received by San Diego residents Nathan and Emily Prince.
“I think it’s really cool that the city’s doing that,” Nathan said. “Because it takes care of the people who’re partying, but also the people who aren’t partying too.”
Emily agreed, “My dad’s always like “don’t drive on New Year’s and New Year’s Eve”, so I think that would make all of us feel so much safer.”
In addition to reducing the number of drunk and drug related car crashes on New Years Eve, the program could also have a positive impact on local businesses. Restaurant and bar owners hope it results in customers ordering extra drinks, safe in the knowledge they won’t have to drive home.
“It gives our patrons and guests a place to come, without worrying about drinking and driving,” said Christine Smith, manager at Cafe Coyote in Old Town.
Party goers should have ample time to ring in the New Year, as the free public transportation will run until the early hours of Jan. 1. Head to the MTS website for more information.
