Concerns over lack of late-night travel options

James Dinwoodie, owner of Lakeway restaurant Fore, said he first encountered the problem of people drinking and driving when he ran bars in downtown Austin.

"It is one of your main concerns when you sell alcohol," he said. "It is the responsibility of the business to not over-serve someone."

Dinwoodie said it was much easier in downtown Austin to find a way home for an intoxicated customer, but that changed when he moved his work to Lakeway.

"When I opened Fore we faced a large problem of finding rides home for people too drunk to drive," he said. "It is difficult to get an intoxicated individual to wait 30 minutes or more for a ride. By then they either get fed up or assume they have sobered up enough to drive. Eventually [the cabs] stopped coming," he said.

The Lakeway Police Department made 38 DWI arrests between May 2013 and May 2014, including 22 already in 2014. Other area police departments have also acknowledged problems with residents driving while intoxicated. The Bee Cave Police Department issued 40 intoxication offenses in 2013, and while on pace for fewer in 2014, Detective Sgt. William Pitmon said the numbers can be misleading.

"I can't say that our efforts aren't deterring drunk driving, but we don't have dedicated units for DWIs," he said. "While our officers are responding to other calls for service I'm sure there are some [intoxicated drivers] getting down the road. Usually the ones that are arrested are the worst of the worst."

The Rollingwood and West Lake Hills police departments, which are the closest local law enforcement agencies to downtown Austin, have made 47 and seven DWI arrests, respectively, since May 2013.

Transportation network companies

Although some transportation services exist within the Austin metro area, city officials, business owners and residents agree the lack of prevalent taxis and mass transit during peak bar hours is a real problem for the growing region.

Austin City Councilman Chris Riley sponsored a May 15 City Council agenda item that resulted in a study to consider permitting transportation network companies, or TNCs, such as Uber and Lyft to operate in the Austin metro area.

TNCs enable users to connect online with drivers who will transport them using personal vehicles, said Matthew Hall, director of communications at Brazos District Tech, a coalition of local downtown businesses aimed at seeking better commuting and parking alternatives.

"Finding a taxi is nearly impossible after 10 p.m.," he said. "Currently the market for transportation [from downtown]—especially late-night—is not adequately served by our options."

TNCs are not permitted in the city of Austin and, if operating, are acting in noncompliance with city code, Austin Transportation Department spokeswoman Samantha Alexander said.

"We are working with the companies and stakeholders to develop a potential pilot program [for TNCs] to bring forward to the City Council later this year," she said.

A preliminary recommendation is due around Aug. 15, with a final report due in mid-November, Riley said.

Uber General Manager Chris Nakutis said that as a result of Austin's high growth rate and an overwhelming response from residents for TNC services, his company launched locally in May.

He said that in other U.S. cities in which Uber currently operates, a significant decrease in DUIs and DWIs followed his company's entry into the markets.

Nakutis claims that when Uber began operating in Seattle in 2011, DWI arrests in the city decreased.

Uber launched a partnership with Mothers Against Drunk Driving to raise funds for the organization during July 4–5. Uber guaranteed a minimum of $20,000 to MADD, according to a news release.

Lyft began operating in Austin on May 29 as a response to an outpouring of requests for the TNC service on its website and social forums, spokeswoman Katie Dally said. Residents were looking for more transportation options to and from the downtown bar scene, she said.

"About 16,000 people in Austin downloaded the [Lyft] app within a couple of days of our launch," Dally said.

Both Dally and Nakutis said their riders can utilize the service between Austin and the Lake Travis or Westlake areas as well as within the suburbs.

"I'd like to think Austin is a city that embraces innovation," Riley said. "Austin ought to be among the cities in the forefront embracing services like Uber and Lyft."

Taxicabs and limousines

Riley said taxi drivers are independent contractors who often choose not to drive at night or during peak bar times to avoid transporting drunk passengers, making short trips or encountering safety concerns during late hours. He said TNCs can help meet the peak demand needs of the area's growing population and possibly address the city's problem of drunk driving deaths.

"There are people who feel they have no other option [than to drive home drunk]," Riley said. "TNCs could provide that other option."

He said the city is facing the challenge of drafting appropriate regulations to govern TNCs as opposed to taxicabs, which are already regulated by city ordinance.

There are three licensed taxi companies operating in Austin: Austin Cab, Lone Star Cab and Yellow Cab, Riley said. He said the city approved about 50 additional taxicab permits last year and maintains a formula—based on the city's population and number of airport arrivals—to adjust the number of permits issued. City staffers set aside some permits annually for a future taxi franchise but have been using this reserve recently to get more taxicabs on city streets, he said.

"We've been putting out more permits than the formula calls for, but it doesn't mean improved service [everywhere]—just more cabs in longer lines at the airport," Riley said.

He said Austin City Council considered deregulating taxicabs, but based on a 2011 report by a consultant hired by council members, found that deregulation may result in higher prices for worse service. Other options may include issuing more permits during periods of peak demand, he said.

All three taxicab franchises are up for renewal by the city in August 2015, Riley said.

Lakeway Taxi has been serving western Travis County for the past decade, owner Jeff Burke said. The three-employee company has two, seven-passenger vehicles with a third scheduled to begin service in December, he said.

The business serves the Lake Travis area, and its drivers usually stop service around 2:15 a.m., after the bars close, Burke said. He said the fare from Lakeway to downtown Austin is about $55 to $60 each way.

Although Burke said he was not concerned about competition from TNCs in the Lake Travis area, his fear was that passengers would get into an uninsured car.

"It doesn't make much sense to have more cabs [or TNCs] unless they are [operating] at peak hours," he said.

Buzz Buck, a limousine driver in the Cuernavaca area, said he has been in business for about three years. His peak travel times are on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights when he takes passengers to and from the downtown district, he said.

Buck charges about $30 each way between Lakeway and downtown, he said.

Like Burke, Buck said he is not too worried about TNCs taking his market share.

"I've got enough regular customers to keep me busy," he said.

Transit options

Capital Metro offers several options for late-night travel, Communications Specialist Amy Peck said.

Although local bus service ends at 11 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on Saturdays, the Entertainment Bus and Night Owl services operate until at least 3 a.m., she said. The E-Bus operates between areas surrounding The University of Texas and downtown, with the Night Owl service limited to the Lamar, Riverside and South Austin areas, she said.

MetroRail and MetroRapid downtown services end at midnight, Peck said.

She said that Capital Metro's late-night services are actively used, with an average of 3,500 rides each evening. However, no late-night services extend to western Travis County, West Lake Hills or Rollingwood.

Peck said higher costs come with running late-night services, and Capital Metro has not budgeted additional resources to expand these services to other areas. She said the agency is focusing on peak times on weekdays to relieve traffic congestion.

Finding a solution

Dinwoodie said he has researched the possibility of creating a nonprofit or not-for-profit program to drive intoxicated individuals and their vehicles home.

"There are some communities, such as San Antonio, who have done a great job with safe-ride programs," he said. "I've been trying to initiate a program like that for the Lakeway area."

Dinwoodie said he has received advice and support from several individuals, including Lakeway Police Chief Todd Radford, who said he would sell older police cruisers to the cause and provide drivers such as off-duty officers and graduates of Lakeway's Citizen Police Academy.

Despite the support, he said he has struggled getting the idea off the ground.

"The problem is the rules," he said. "It is very difficult to start a small nonprofit."

Dinwoodie said he has reached out to already-established nonprofits in the area but is having a hard time with the odd hours needed for a nonprofit dealing with late-night driving.

"It is a matter of finding the right person to run it," Dinwoodie said. "The need for a program like this falls to nobody but ourselves. I'd love to start a program and keep it working, but the logistics are tough. I don't have all the answers, but I know a program like this could help."