Getting Home Safe

Healthyhorns play it safe at UT Austin. If you choose to head out for a night, plan how to get there and home in a safe way. There are many options that can help with this, including having a designated driver, using a rideshare app, UT Night rides or Capital Metro late-night services.

Designated Driver

According to a 2019 AlcoholEdu survey of incoming UT Austin students, 94.1% reported having used a designated driver when choosing to drink. UT students are responsible and watch out for their friends. Sometimes being a good friend means taking on the responsibility to make sure your friends get home safely. This can prevent the loss of a friend's license, fines, jail time and preventable injury and death.

Designated drivers agree to remain sober in order to drive others home safely. They do not have any alcohol the entire night and are able to help friends avoid making decisions that could result in negative consequences.

Top 10 Tips for Designated Drivers

1. Before going out, let people know you're not going to be drinking and that you're willing to drive everyone home safely.
2. Establish rules before leaving. See if drinkers will chip in on gas, buy you non-alcoholic drinks, and even buy you dinner!
3. Don't drink! Not even one single drink.
4. Carry a few plastic bags in your car in case people get sick in your ride.
5. Be wary of others on the road, especially late at night.
6. Be prepared to handle a friend that insists they are okay to drive themselves home.
7. Consider taking turns being the DD.
8. Have more than one DD if you have a larger group.
9. Make sure to ask your friends to go to a place you enjoy!
10. Talk to your friends the next day if it was hard for you to handle a situation.

Rideshare and UT Night Rides

Rideshare apps, such as Uber and Lyft, provide convenient and safe transportation. Be prepared by having a rideshare app downloaded on your phone and ensuring your phone is fully charged when you leave for the night. On most rideshare apps, you can schedule a ride ahead of time to be sure you have a safe way to get home.

Lyft serves as the provider for UT Austin’s Night Rides program. UT Night Rides provides a Lyft away from main campus to your home 7 days a week from Midnight (12 a.m.) to 4 a.m. Learn how to access your credits and get started.

Capital Metro Late-Night Services

• Late Night Services Website
• Night Owl Routes: The Night Owl service operates year-round from midnight until 3 a.m., Monday through Sunday nights. Buses run between popular late-night destinations on 6th Street and local neighborhoods.
• E-Bus (Entertainment Bus): Capital Metro provides free shuttle rides to and from UT, West Campus, East Riverside and the downtown Austin entertainment district. The E-Bus operates every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night during the fall and spring semesters while classes are in session. The E-Bus program receives non-financial support from The University of Texas at Austin and the Austin Police Department.

UT students and staff can ride Capital Metro for free with a valid school ID.

Note that E-Bus service is currently suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.