Maryland Awarded $20,000 Grant to Give Rideshare Credits During Holiday Season

Per MDOT: For the second year, the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s (MDOT MVA) Highway Safety Office has received a grant from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) to provide rideshare credits to Marylanders to help them Be the Make A Plan Driver and choose an alternative to driving impaired. Through the partnership funded by GHSA, Lyft, and Responsibility.org, 4,000 Lyft ride credits, each worth $5, will be available during the holiday season. Maryland is one of four states awarded the grant.

“Once again, we’re making the choice easy to be the driver who makes a plan and arranges a sober ride home,” said Governor Hogan. “No one should lose a loved one this holiday season, or ever, due to someone’s selfish choice to drive impaired. I encourage all drivers to make a plan for a sober ride home and save a life.”

Each Marylander is eligible to receive one $5 rideshare credit each weekend while supplies last. A select number of rideshare credits will be available between 4 p.m. and 2 a.m. on the following dates:

• Thursday, December 1 through Sunday, December 4,
• Thursday, December 8 through Sunday, December 11,
• Thursday, December 15 through Sunday, December 18,
• Thursday, December 22 through Sunday, December 25, and
• Thursday, December 29 through Sunday, January 1.

To redeem the $5 credit, Marylanders should open the Lyft app, choose “Payment” from the menu on the top left corner, and scroll to the “Add Lyft Pass” section. After inputting the code found at ZeroDeathsMD.gov/Rideshare, $5 will be applied to the user’s account. Each rider is limited to one $5 credit each weekend through the entirety of the campaign. Code redemptions will be capped each weekend to ensure rides are available throughout the holiday season.

Last year, 173 people died and more than 2,800 were injured on Maryland roadways due to impaired driving. Additionally, in 2021 in Maryland, more than 15,430 people were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs — 1,616 of those arrests occurring between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.

“With the holiday season being one of the most dangerous times on our roadways due to impaired driving, initiatives that promote ride-hailing, a proven countermeasure for deterring this reckless behavior, are critical,” said GHSA Executive Director Jonathan Adkins. “GHSA is proud to partner with Lyft and Responsibility.org to help Maryland encourage people to make the safer choice this year by leaving the driving to someone who is sober.”

In addition to the credits, the MDOT MVA’s Highway Safety Office will promote educational messaging through Be the Sober Driver and Be the Make A Plan Driver on advertising platforms.

Learn more about the MDOT MVA’s Highway Safety Office at ZeroDeathsMD.gov or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @ZeroDeathsMD.

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