Despite not quite reaching their record in rides, the group behind Operation Red Nose said they're "ecstatic" about the 2011 campaign.
In its 14th year, the Rotary Club of Prince George-Nechako's free designated-driving service provided 1,035 rides, covering 25,190 kilometres.
In 2010, the Prince George Operation Red Nose team provided 1,123 rides.
Prince George volunteers provided the third-most rides in the province, behind Langley-Surrey (1,069) and Kamloops (1,039).
"It was quite busy. We're still pretty happy with this year's total," said Operation Red Nose spokesperson Andrea Johnson.
On the final night, New Year's Eve, 32 teams provided 236 rides home.
"We had 101 volunteers working that night as road teams worked in shifts - it was relatively quiet from 9 p.m. to midnight, but just as we expected, once the clock struck 12, the phones started ringing off the hook and we worked steady right until shortly after 4 a.m.," Johnson wrote in an e-mail.
In total, roughly 252 people volunteered their time to ensure Prince George party-goers got home safely and clients chipped in about $22,000 in donations.
All proceeds raised from Operation Red Nose go back into the community through the Rotary Club.
While they could always use more volunteers to provide even more rides, the group has become efficient at using all available resources to get to as many clients as possible in one night. This includes using smartphones and the Operation Red Nose website to dispatch rides to the on-road teams, instead of sending the information out via radio or cellphone call.
"We're probably the only group who dispatches through smartphones," Johnson said
