Home James reminds Caledon residents there’s safe, free rides home for the holidays

Volunteers will drive people who've been drinking home in their own vehicles

By Zachary Roman

Caledon residents will have a safe and free ride home during the holidays.

Home James is a community program that's dedicated to saving lives by providing a free designated driver service for impaired drivers in their own vehicles. 

Caledon's Home James program is up and running again for the 2022 holiday season.

From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. every day until December 31 (except for Christmas Eve), residents can get a ride home in their own vehicle from a Home James volunteer. All they have to do is call 905-951-9000, visit homejames-caledon.ca, or arrange a ride on the Home James app, which is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Chris Bava, a volunteer for Home James, handles all the marketing initiatives for the Caledon program. He explained that over the holidays, there tends to be an increase in impaired drivers on the road as people are attending social gatherings, office parties and family events where drinks are served.

It's why Home James operates each holiday season, and also why the OPP increases the amount of R.I.D.E. checks they do this time of year.

“You can drive to the bar and call us up to drive you home. Get drunk… we don't ask questions, call us and we'll drive you home in your own car,” said Bava. “It's a bunch of friendly volunteers… we talk and joke and laugh along the way.”

Bava said that while it's not necessary, many users of Home James tip their driver, and that tip money goes back into the program to help ensure that free rides can continue to be offered year after year.

Caledon Home James is always looking for more volunteers, and Bava said it's a great way to get involved in the community with no mandatory time commitment. He said the more volunteers Home James has on a given night, the better the service they can provide.

“It's a social environment, volunteers like getting the calls and driving around,” said Bava. “It really works, and it's a fun and easy onboarding process for (new) volunteers.”