Rudy the Operation Red Nose mascot

On the first weekend in December, 431 Operation Red Nose volunteers drove a total of 12,700km in snowy conditions, and provided over 500 rides home to residents who didn’t feel up to getting behind the wheel. They also collected over $9,000 in donations for local youth initiatives across the province.

Each year, the free and confidential designated driving service operates during the Christmas holiday season from 9pm to 3am. Dispatchers take calls from people who don’t feel safe driving home in their own vehicles, whether they’ve done a little too much celebrating that evening or are new drivers who’ve stayed out too late.

The service is particular popular in the Langley/Surrey, Abbotsford/Mission, and Kamloops areas, with a total of 800 calls coming in from the cities to date.

“Once, a couple used the service to get to the airport, flew to Las Vegas, got married, and used the service to get home,” says Delta Gymnastics program coordinator Richard Woo, who has volunteered with Operation Red Nose for the past seven years. “They were doing a lot of celebrating along the way.” Woo hopes more Asians will use the service. “I know people of my parents’ generation think, ‘It’s OK if I have a drink, I’ll survive.’ It’s definitely something they should be more responsible about. Maybe if the service had more Asian volunteers or drivers, they would feel more comfortable using it.”

An escort vehicle drops a volunteer driver and one navigator off at the location of the call and follows behind as the caller is driven home in his or her own vehicle. The escort car then picks the volunteers up and takes them to the next location.

Operation Red Nose can be reached at their new toll free number 1-877-604-6673 (NOSE).  Callers are encouraged to phone ahead if they know they’ll need a ride.