AAA responds on Tipsy? Taxi!
One of the problems with email is that legitimate mail can get lost in a sea of spam. This comment from AAA's Ragina Averella was overlooked for about a day. It's been posted as a comment, but I thought it was worth highlighting before the drinking gets started in earnest tonight:
Thank you, as always, Mike for helping us spread the word about Tipsy?Taxi!
We agree that Tipsy?Taxi! is a wonderful service, which has provided more than 1,700 free cab rides to would-be drunk drivers since 2006. AAA Mid-Atlantic and our partners the Maryland Department of Transportation?s State Highway Administration (SHA) and Yellow Cab are very proud of the success of this program.Since the program?s inception on the 4th of July in 2006, we have expanded this service to include New Year's Eve, St. Patrick's Day, Labor Day and Halloween. While we have heard an occasional complaint regarding wait times, by and large, we receive comments and compliments from patrons who have used the service repeatedly and tell us how important the service is and how appreciative they are that it is offered.
Clearly, some holidays are busier than others and quite frankly St.
Patrick?s Day and New Year?s Eve are among the busiest, particularly when we have good weather, which is predicted for tomorrow. The demand for taxi cabs in general is particularly high on these holidays, and the demand for a FREE cab is even greater. If you call and the phone lines are busy, please call back. The average hold time is usually 20 seconds, but during peak times the wait could be longer. While an average wait time for a taxi cab is usually approximately 15 minutes, we know that demand increases greatly when the bars are closing and wait times for a cab at the end of the night may be as long as 45 minutes.That said, we want to remind everyone that because this is a free service you can imagine how busy Yellow Cab is. We do not, however want people to be discouraged from using the service, but want them to be mindful that longer wait times should be expected if they wait until the bars are closing and they should be patient. We encourage impatient patrons to consider cutting their partying short so that they may obtain a cab earlier in the evening with less wait time or to designate a sober driver in their party before they even step out of their homes for the festivities.
Thank you again for using Tipsy?Taxi! and Happy St. Patrick?s Day!
Ragina C. Averella
Public and Government Affairs Manager
AAA Mid-Atlantic
