Gators will have a chance to party with the president Wednesday night.
The Student Body president, that is.
From 8:30 p.m. to midnight at The Swamp Restaurant, Student Government will kick off its "Be a Smarty…Think Before You Party" campaign, designed to reduce the number of student DUIs over the next year.
"We want students to forget about blood-alcohol levels and realize that the only safe amount of alcohol when drinking and driving is no alcohol," Johnson said in an SG press release.
The "Welcome Back Kickoff Party," free and open to anyone 18 and older, will celebrate the launch of Fabulous Rides, a new transportation service for students who are out drinking and can't drive their cars home.
Students can call 1-866-448-RIDE, and the service will send drivers to meet intoxicated students on collapsible motor scooters that will fit in most trunks. The drivers will then take the students home in their own cars.
Fabulous Rides also offers service in town cars, which are more luxurious versions of taxis, and coaches, which can transport 20 to 30 partiers.
Free rides will be given during the kickoff party and continue through Saturday night.
According to the Fabulous Rides Web site, the scooter service cost is comparable to that of a taxi but ultimately saves money because it is a one-way service.
The service is not funded by SG, but the two are partnering to promote Fabulous Rides as a safe alternative to drunken driving.
"We are excited to provide a unique scooter-pickup program to cater to anyone who drives their car out at night but shouldn't be getting behind the wheel to drive home," said Ray Land, owner of Fabulous Rides, in the release. "I'm glad we were able to find a partner in Student Government that truly cares about fighting the issue."
Wednesday's party will also celebrate the kickoff of a transportation hotline for student drinkers - 1-877-RIDE-UF1 - which will serve as a one-stop information service for drinkers who need transportation.
The hotline, which began operating Tuesday evening, gives callers information on Student Nighttime Auxiliary Patrol, the Later Gator bus service, local taxi companies and Fabulous Rides.
