Drinkers, get your driving plans together now.
Ten to 13 cabs (four to six in Columbus and seven in Starkville) will be on the road New Year”s Eve night shuttling revelers to and from parties, but they can”t get to everyone. Thus, law enforcement is recommending drinkers secure a designated driver.
“That”s the logical thing. If you”re going to take the responsibility of drinking, please take the responsibility of finding a designated driver,” said Terrie Songer, public information officer for the Columbus Police Department.
The CPD has experimented with offering rides to partiers in the past, but not this year. So if you end up getting a ride from a police officer, you”re not going home.
“It”s our responsibility to make sure you don”t kill anybody on the road,” said Songer.
She adds that police, sheriff”s deputies and the Highway Patrol will coordinate efforts by setting up roadblocks, but for obvious reasons she wouldn”t say where.
Songer also said one of the reasons police shuttles didn”t work out was the shenanigans going on in the back seats of police vans. That”s something Don Sanders deals with every weekend.
Sanders has been driving for City Wide Cab in Columbus for eight months. Part of his job is tolerating drunk people.
“I have toted people out of (bars). I”ve had people throw up in the car. I”ve had to carry them to their front porch. One lady spit on me one night,” he recalled. “I tolerate it all because I know the circumstances.”
He has several methods for soothing the savage drunks.
“Sometimes they just want to hear their type of music. Or it might be hot and they want some air. Something real small and then they”re cool,” he said.
Sanders is used to all the typical requests. Some passengers want to stop for food, others at the gas station. If he”s lucky, there will be one person in charge of the rowdy bunch telling them to keep quiet until they arrive at their destination.
Friday will be Sanders” first New Year”s Eve with City Wide, but he”s ready for it.
City Wide will have two to four minivans running all over the Golden Triangle. Most local taxi services will go anywhere in the Golden Triangle and some as far as Tuscaloosa, but you”ll have to pay for it.
Anywhere within Columbus is $7 with City Wide. Anywhere in the county is $15. West Point is $30. Starkville is $40. Tupelo and beyond is $70.
On Time Taxi will have two drivers on duty Friday with cars or 15-passenger vans. The vans are $10 extra.
Bulldog Cab Co. in Starkville will have four vans running Friday, but a limo and a limo bus are also available.
McClain Taxi in Starkville will have two 15-passenger vans and a minivan working Friday night.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
