The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) wants to get everyone home safely from their Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations. That’s why PBOT will offer discounted taxi, Lyft, and Uber rides as part of its Safe Ride Home program.
Safe Ride Home coupons are valid for rides starting in Portland city limits daily from March 14 to 17, from 6 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.
PBOT provides Safe Ride Home as a way to curb impaired driving—a top contributing factor to traffic death on Portland streets, according to the most recent Portland Vision Zero Action Plan Update. Sixty-nine percent of deadly crashes in Portland between 2017 and 2021 involved alcohol and/or drug impairment. In that same period, 430 people died or suffered life-altering injuries due to impairment. In these crashes, 79% of the drivers were impaired.
For those who plan to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, help make our streets safer by making Safe Ride Home part of your plans:
- Taxi rides: Paper coupons for up to $20 off a taxi trip will be available at Kells Portland Irish Festival on the waterfront March 14-16 and at Paddy’s St. Patrick’s Day Festival on March 17th.
- Lyft rides: Participants can get $10 off a Lyft ride in Portland. Download the digital coupon on Friday, March 14.
- Uber rides: Participants can get $10 off an Uber ride in Portland. Download the digital coupon on Friday, March 14.
Looking for other affordable options? You can get a safe ride home year-round by traveling on TriMet bus and MAX trains, Portland Streetcar, and C-TRAN public transit.
PBOT’s Safe Ride Home program started in 2017 and provides travel options for people celebrating at certain times of the year. During past events, PBOT’s program has helped over 3,300 Portlanders celebrate responsibly and get home safely. The Safe Ride Home program is funded by the taxi permit fees and the 76-cent fee charged for every Lyft and Uber ride in Portland. The fee also covers safety inspections and the PDX WAV program that makes accessible on-demand vehicles available to people with wheelchairs or mobility devices in Portland.
People killed by traffic violence are members of the community—children, siblings, parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, neighbors, and friends. Whenever a person is killed on Portland’s streets, countless people feel the loss of loved ones whose lives are tragically cut short. The Federal Highway Administration estimates that the loss of quality of life and socioeconomic impact of each traffic death is about $5.7 million.
Everyone must remain vigilant and use caution to always stay safe on Portland streets—and especially during celebratory holidays. If you are driving, slow down. Slower speeds are proven to reduce crashes and their severity. People who drive slower can stop more quickly to avoid a crash. Driving more slowly also reduces the chance of injury or death when crashes occur. A pedestrian struck by a person driving 40 mph is eight times more likely to die than a pedestrian struck at 20 mph. Nighttime, wide streets and large vehicles are also top contributing factors to traffic deaths.
Learn more about Vision Zero, the City of Portland’s goal to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries on our streets, including at www.portland.gov/vision-zero.
Source: Portland Bureau of Transportation