Operation Red Nose gave a record 122 safe rides over the opening weekend of its 2012 campaign, breaking a record set in 2010 of 81 trips.
"We are ecstatic with our opening weekend," said Operation Red Nose spokesperson Andrea Johnson. "On both nights it was a little slow for the first three hours, but right after midnight, that's when the volume of calls came in and people were ready to go home. We're glad they called us."
The volunteer-based designated driving service provided 82 rides on Saturday and 40 rides on Friday.
Eight teams of three volunteers were on the road Friday night beginning at 9 p.m. and by midnight provided 13 rides home. They were busy right until 3 a.m. with another 27 rides.
On Saturday, 13 teams were on the road. By midnight 26 rides were provided, and shortly after the phone at Red Nose headquarters started ringing and the teams provided an astounding 56 rides in three hours.
"There was a bit of a bottleneck from about 12:30 a.m. to 2:15 a.m. and wait times for clients to be picked up was about 30 minutes," said Johnson. "However the clients did wait and our teams got them home safely.
"I was so proud of the volunteer teams. The majority of them were volunteering with us for the first time and they covered a lot of miles criss-crossing the city. They were tired when they returned to headquarters, but they all had smiles on their faces. They had a lot of fun."
Operation Red Nose is a free, seasonal service organized by the Rotary Club of Prince George Nechako in partnership with the RCMP and ICBC that not only allows party-goers to get home safely but their vehicles too.
The next weekend of service is Dec. 7 and 8 and organizers expect to have between 15 to 20 teams on hand to deal with the increased demand. Those who require a safe ride home can call 250-962-RIDE.
About 255 volunteers have registered to help Operation Red Nose out this year. Organizers would like about 300 volunteers and to help during New Year's Eve. They can go to www.ornpg.ca to apply.
