The Designated Driver Project of Amherst is a nascent non-profit organization that aims to reduce the incidence of drunk driving in the Pioneer Valley. The service is available only to students attending one of the Five Colleges. It requires an initial payment of $10, which is refundable if the service is not used or considered unsatisfactory. Marquis Hunt, a former student at the University of Massachusetts, created the organization. Stories of students walking extreme distances back to campus or attempting to drive back under the influence motivated Hunt to make a change. "Many people drink regardless of age and party atmosphere. The community provides an excellent late-night service, but the logistics of the Five College area nonetheless makes it difficult to stay out past 1 a.m.," said Hunt.

Members are asked make a "donation of gratitude" for every ride they receive, which varies depending on the length of the ride. For example, students are requested to donate $2.50 for a five-minute ride, and $6-$8 for a 10- to 15-minute ride. Members can also bring up to three guests at a rate of $0.50 per person. When members need a ride, they can call a number and speak to a volunteer operator. They will have to provide their student ID number, location and destination. All vehicles will be identifiable by a "D-Dave" sticker.

The program starts this week. It is currently very small, with few members and about $500 in funds. "We have some members, but all are our friends. We postponed giving out memberships to others (we may start next week) because we are beginning to see new paradigms as to how this group can be initiated. Weekly memberships, monthly memberships, dormitory groupings, private taxi services and designated driving advocacy are new things that have been brought up since the group has been building," said Hunt. "I think it's great," said Amherst first-year Sasha White. "It gives people an alternative to having to drive drunk, which is obviously a great benefit and reduces the likelihood of accidents occurring. Just for $10 a person, it's an invaluable resource in the Pioneer Valley."

Most Amherst College students appreciate the program, but not everyone anticipates using the service themselves. "If we can get a ride for free from Safe Rides, then there is no incentive to pay $10 for the same service," said Amrita Vijayaraghavan '07. The Safe Ride Service is operated nightly by student security assistants between 7 p.m. & 2 a.m. The Designated Driver Project of Amherst plans to operate Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 12-3 a.m. The Safe Ride Service is, however, restricted to the Amherst College campus. "People aren't going to dish out $10 when they know that they can find an alternative like a friend, a bus or a taxi depending on the time and where they are going," said Lauren LaRusso '10.

Another concern among students is whether they will be penalized for underage drinking as a result of using the service."Since this group cannot release any confidential information about our members, we wouldn't know if they are underage and wouldn't be obliged to tell authorities unless the volunteer driver himself willingly knew the members to be underage," said Hunt. "Our primary goal is safety to the home; our volunteers do not join to become cops."