At a press conference on Dec. 15, Voorhees Township announced the initiation of a 30 day trial period joining Evesham Township and the Saves Lives Program. Evesham and Voorhees have agreed to extend this program/partnership to June 1, 2016.
This program is a joint venture between the two municipalities, Uber and BeMyDD to help our residents get home safely from local bars and restaurants seven days a week from the hours of 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. To date, the program has safely taken nearly 1000 Evesham and Voorhees residents to their homes free of charge. Evesham began this program last September and has seen an 83 percent reduction in DWI arrests of their residents coming from local liquor establishments.
No tax dollars are used for this program. It is fully funded through contributions from local foundations, donors and businesses.
Uber vehicles provide free rides home to either Voorhees or Evesham residents from participating establishments in both townships. Residents simply open the Uber app at one of the participating restaurants/bars and will see a “safe ride” option at the bottom of the screen. A free Uber ride home will be provided. The free service will not be provided from one establishment to another.
The Voorhees Township Committee unanimously supported the continuation of this program since it not only saves lives, but also saves our police department time and money by reducing the number of DWIs to be processed. This allows our officers to spend more time on other community policing measures. In addition, the initiative encourages residents to frequent Voorhees and Evesham establishments.
** The Evesham Celebrations Foundation (ECF) in partnership with the Evesham/Voorhees Saves Lives Program is hosting a fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 6, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Indian Springs Country Club, 115 S. Elmwood Rd, Marlton. Tickets are $50 per person and are available online at http://evesham-celebration-foundation.ticketleap.com. For more information, contact Monica Vandenberg at (856) 985–9792.
