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Getting Home Safe

Longhorns make a plan to get home safely. If you choose to head out for a night, there are many options to help you get there and home in a safe way including using a rideshare app, UT Night rides, Capital Metro or having a designated driver.

Rideshare

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.

UT Night Rides

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

UT students and staff can ride Capital Metro for free with a valid school ID. Capital Metro offers late-night and regular transportation options including:

  • 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.
  • CapMetro Bus, CapMetro Rapid and CapMetro Rail

Designated Driver

Designated drivers agree to remain sober 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. This can prevent the loss of a friend's license, fines, jail time and preventable injury and death.

Tips for Designated Drivers

  • Before going out, let people know you're not going to be drinking and that you're willing to drive everyone home safely.
  • Establish rules before leaving. See if your friends will chip in on gas, buy you non-alcoholic drinks and even buy you dinner.
  • Do not drink at all.
  • Carry a few plastic bags in your car in case people get sick.
  • Be wary of others on the road, especially late at night.
  • Be prepared to handle a friend that insists they are okay to drive themselves home.
  • Rotate the responsibility of being the designated driver among the group.
  • Have more than one designated driver if you have a larger group to make sure there are seats for everyone.
  • Make sure to ask your friends to go to a place you enjoy.
  • Find pleasure outside of food, too. Talk to your friends the next day if it was hard for you to handle a situation.