Gunnedah and District Liquor Accord will re-launch the Gunny Gets You Home initiative to tackle drink driving.
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In the coming months, Gunnedah's pubs and clubs, and the Commercial Hotel, Curlewis will offer coupons for subsidised taxi fares to encourage locals to leave the car at home if they're out for the night.
The accord will receive a $7400 grant from the NSW Government's 2019 Liquor Accords Grants Program and contribute $3000 of its own funding to the initiative, which folded almost ten years ago.
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The coupons will provide a late night transport option for local residents in licensed venues in on Friday and Saturday nights between 10.30pm and 2.30am for a year.
"A taxi will be run by the venue and the coupon issued to subsidise the taxi fare with the aim of reducing the incidents of drink driving," local accord chairman and publican Greg Thomas said.
"The incidents of drink driving is an issue and that came directly from the police at our February accord meeting. The incidents of drink driving have increased."
Mr Thomas said the timing of the grant couldn't be better after tougher drink-driving laws were introduced on May 20.
"I believe - and I believe it's the consensus from everyone - that [the new laws] have affected us," he said.
"People are certainly aware now of the penalties. It's certainly a topic of discussion that there are instant penalties for low-range drink driving."
Mr Thomas said "sometimes the message doesn't sink in" so the accord is hopeful the new initiative will "offer an incentive not to drink and drive".
"The basis of the accord is local solutions for local problems ... We're hoping this incentive will one, reduce incidents, two, help our businesses and three, give the taxi companies a bit of a spike," he said.
"I think it's a credit to Gunnedah accord for using their initiative."
Mr Thomas said the accord hoped to receive the funding by August so the initiative can be launched in September.
The chairman said he was thankful to Gunnedah Shire Council's Debra Hilton for preparing the grant application and the council for supporting the initiative.