Link Ahead with the City of Dublin, Ohio
Link Ahead with the City of Dublin, Ohio
Safe Rides, Saving Lives. How Culture, Tech and a Dedicated Community Are Shifting Behaviors
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Big nights don’t have to mean big risks. Lindsay and Bruce sit down with Scott Neff, Chair of Safe Ride of Central Ohio and partner at Fado Irish Pub, to trace how a small trauma grant in 2007 sparked a movement. A movement that reshaped how Dublin and Central Ohio residents get home safely and keep streets safer for everyone in the process.
Scott walks us through the funding leap from one‑time hospital dollars to pub‑led sponsorships, and how a simple $10 discount drove action. We dig into behavior change on the ground—bartenders helping guests apply codes, younger riders planning ahead, and the subtle redesign of a night out that quietly saves lives.
We also talk scale: the role of Dublin City Council, rising redemptions as proof of impact, and the open invitation for more restaurants and neighboring cities to adopt this model. If your community can bring a budget, committed partners, and the will to make safety convenient, the template is ready!
Subscribe, share this episode with your crew, and leave a quick review to help more people find it. Then do the simplest thing that protects you and everyone on the road: claim the code, plan the ride, and get home safe and sound.
Hello and welcome to Link Ahead, the City of Dublin podcast. And if there's one thing true in Dublin, and it was true yesterday, it's true today, and it'll be true tomorrow. It's that safety is our number one priority.
Meet SafeRide And Scott Neff
SPEAKER_02You are absolutely right, Lindsay. It's more than a wish, a hope, or a dream. It's something we actively plan for as much as possible. And when it comes to some of our signature events, like St. Patrick's Day, which is right around the corner, hard to believe. We partner with Central Ohio Safe Ride program to help people get home safely and to keep the roads safe for everyone.
SPEAKER_03Yes, and we are so pleased to have with us Scott Neff. Scott is chair of SafeRide of Central Ohio and also a partner with Fido Irish Pub. Scott, welcome to Link Ahead.
SPEAKER_00Thank you. And Lindsay, it's great to see you again for years and years that we've done this.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, absolutely. You've been an amazing partner. We're going to dig into the last 10 to 15 years of partnership with the City of Dublin. We've been working together on this SafeRide program. Tell our listeners a little bit more about it.
SPEAKER_00Sure. So the way that it all came about was in 2007, Riverside Hospital, so Ohio Health, was given some trauma money. Basically, they they were given a a couple thousand dollars to reduce traffic trauma. And they gave those vouchers. They got with cab companies and they gave those vouchers to Burns Irish Pub, to Fido, my pub in Easton, and then to a couple others. And we thought it was a great idea, and it was really well received. The media came in and reported on it, and we gave out these vouchers and everybody used them, and it was really cool and it made sense. And then their one-time grant was gone. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03So we had to figure out a new way to fund it.
SPEAKER_00That's right. So Pat Byrne from Burns and I, uh, the following year when we figured out this is no longer available, we said, listen, we we need to get this going again. So we got some vendor support. We decided, hey, Guinness makes sense. You know, we're Irish pubs, it makes sense to get Guinness involved. And then over time we got others involved as well. But we came up with the funding ourselves and said, let's do these vouchers, let's get with some cab companies and do$10 off. And it went really well and very quickly.
Funding Shift And Pub Partnerships
SPEAKER_02So you started in 2007 with this and you've talked about the origins. Did you see it becoming what it would become today? Did you have any idea it would be this big?
SPEAKER_00Uh no. No, we didn't. I I mean, to be honest with you, the city of Dublin really helped build it. You know, you guys really did. What we were doing was kind of kind of giving ourselves a reasonable efforts defense at a time when we thought we need to be responsible. We have alcohol in people's hands, people are out partying, they're having fun, but they're not thinking about responsibility. They're thinking about having fun. We need to think about responsibility for them. So, no, I never saw it getting this big, but you guys helped make that happen.
SPEAKER_03Well, it's so impactful when you think about that it started with the trauma unit at at the hospital because they're really seeing the other side of drinking and driving, and it just kind of hits you right there. It's like it's it's it's pretty serious. That's right.
Tech Evolution To Rideshare Codes
SPEAKER_02So you mentioned voucher, and it just blows my mind to think that someone would be handed a piece of paper in this day and age when we have everything on the little. No, it wasn't like in in cabs. Like, you know, we when's the last time you saw a regular cat? Yeah. So, you know, you you have evolved as this as technology has evolved. So you don't just get a voucher, you now have uh how does it work now with Lyft?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, sure. So, you know, the the in-between was we had some cab companies that were really into this and wanted to do things, but just the times kind of passed them by for our purposes anyway. So first we were with Uber, and frankly, Lyft did a great job of coming in, really being a a great partner with us and wanting to help us be able to geofence events and do things like that, you know. So now we have a business partnership with Lyft. It's really seamless now, you know. What used to be really tough to geofence, now we can do, you know, we we actually can come up with QR codes for events ourselves now after Lyft has given us that ability.
Behavior Change And Younger Riders
SPEAKER_03And it's so simple now. You know, we've talked about the city of Dublin Safe Ride partnering for over 10 years. It used to be vouchers and cabs. And now with uh Lyft and Uber and the ride share programs, it really is easier than ever to never drink and drive. Are you seeing a shift in behavior at all just from your standpoint?
SPEAKER_00I have, you know, to to me the younger people are better at taking this on, partly because of the tech, partly because they have Lyft or Uber, and all of them use Lyft or Uber, you know, and they often plan ahead, maybe better than some folks in their 50s and 60s, you know, at this point. Even with that, I've seen a big shift with that. It used to be, you know, if you were a bartender or a manager of a pub and you needed somebody not to drive, you had to call a cab, wait for it, and all that. And now it could be like, hey, let me see your phone. Yeah, I see the Uber. You know what I mean? So all of that has evolved. It is much easier on the codes now, especially that somebody can just pick it up. If they have the app, they can pick it up a from a QR code and it automatically applies to their phone. There's a little bit of a negative to that too, in that people can apply the code, and once they do, that code is gone. Right. Even though it's not used yet.
Lives Saved And Personal Stories
SPEAKER_02Right. So undoubtedly the SafeRide program has saved people from injury and it's saved lives over the last two decades. Talk about why this cause is so important to you and your partners.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, sure. So, you know, uh originally, like I said, it was kind of to make ourselves you know feel better. You know, we I I have a couple of liquor licenses in my name. You know, I want to be responsible. It made us feel better about what we were doing. But then it actually made sense on so many different levels to be able to get other people to think about it. And then once it gets out in the media, it kind of gains a little traction. And so there's that. So one of my partners in SafeRye, there's there's two that own pubs Pat Byrne from Burns Pub, Ed Gahan from ON Lane. They're both very involved with the city of Dublin over the years. And then the other one is Steve Crane. He manages the Tinder box next to Fido. And he had an employee that used to hang out at our pub. His name was Vince Kanzani. And Vince left our pub. He was a non-drinker, interestingly enough. He left our pub at like two in the morning and got killed by a wrong way driver in Columbus. And that that wrongway driver got a lot of hits on YouTube. Vince's name is not known to most people, but his name was. You know, so it's interesting to me. Those things really resonate with people. And when you tell them that story, it's really hard for them to forget.
Upcoming Codes For Super Bowl And St. Patrick’s Day
SPEAKER_03Yeah, thank you for bringing that up. I know it's really important for you to talk about Vince and talk about all of the reasons behind this program. And we are here to raise awareness about it. So getting into some of the specifics, we just did a promotion for Super Bowl Sunday, and now right around the corner, hard to believe it, St. Patty's Day is right is coming up again. And so uh we really, really, really want to encourage the use of these codes. Talk specifically about what people need to know about redeeming them and using them.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, sure. So you guys are very good about getting it out in the media and people see those codes. I know you guys are gonna do the Super Bowl code soon. Last year you had a number of hits. It was it was a fun thing. I don't even remember the whole thing, but it had a lot of hits, which was great. I I don't know where that sits this year, but that code is already live. I know that. And then the Patty's Day code will do soon. And this time on St. Patrick's Day, we'll do the code in Dublin for sure. And then we'll do some other ones around the city so that Pat and Grandview and Fido in Easton and Owen Lane on campus can also have codes that work for them.
Expansion Hopes And City Support
SPEAKER_03Perfect. I know we always try to include that code like on social media, so you can copy, paste, put it right into the app, and usually we'll do$10 off a ride to or from anywhere in Dublin. So it's a really great program.
SPEAKER_00That's right. It's interesting. We set the$10 kind of barrier a long time ago, and it feels like it's enough that it compels action on people's part. And then, you know, depending on how far they go, it's a really substantial discount for them.
SPEAKER_03Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01So, Scott, does Safe Ride have goals on expansion for impact this year? It's interesting.
SPEAKER_00Like for us, we would love to see other bars and restaurants that really got involved in this post, you know, the posters become, you know, part of the program. Over the years, we've had several, uh, but we really don't have a whole lot of those people that are partners with us. What they do though is they're happy to use Dublin's code. You know, restaurants. I'm just saying that they're they know that that's an out for them right now, and it's a good out for them. But then as far as other communities and other areas, we've done some other things with Gehanna and with Hilliard, and neither one of them have come back with like a large budget to be able to do events. If you're listening, Gehanna or Hilliard, you have a budget, come and see us, we'll help you out.
Rapid Fire: Festivals, Food, And Travel
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and we have to give a credit to Dublin City Council who's been supportive of this uh since before I started with the city in 2014 and continues to support the program. And you know, we see the numbers on the redemptions just kind of going up and up and up uh again with the ease of use now and the partnership with Lyft. So they really see the value. And so we have to give credit where credit's due there.
SPEAKER_00That's good. Good job, Dublin.
SPEAKER_03What do you think it will take to get more businesses, more cities, more counties, more healthcare providers involved in the campaign?
SPEAKER_00So that's a good question. I think awareness is part of it, you know, as people see this and how seamless it can be and how you get in a new behavior, you think, hey, we're going out for New Year's Eve, we should we should do ride sharing. It just makes sense. I've got it on the way there, you've got it on the way back, and it just makes sense. So I think that's part of the reason why we've been successful and why it's grown. But I think that's the easiest way for it to expand as well.
SPEAKER_03My favorite thing is when I have a friend who sends me this code and they they might be doing something in Dublin for New Year's Eve and says, Hey, did you see this code that we can redeem? I'm like, Yeah, yeah. I do see that.
SPEAKER_02My office has been in the code out for the last 10 plus years.
SPEAKER_03So, Scott, thank you for all you do and your commitment at Safe Ride of Central Ohio. And um, now as we wrap things up, we like to get into a little rapid fire. So rapid fire, I think we're gonna be able to do that. I know you're ready for this. And so let's just start off with uh an easy one. What's your favorite event in Dublin?
SPEAKER_00It's the Dublin Address Festival. Like it's really hard to beat the live music that's there and all the throngs of people. And that's that's my people, you know. Like there are some of those bands, Gaelic Storm, it's great and has been there for years. You've had other ones, Scythian, Young Dubliners, and I know those bands. You know, they're they're good. That one's hard to beat. There's still other good ones, though. Oh, yeah, too. I mean, the memorial's great. Even the Dublin market is now unbelievable there. You go, you you gotta dodge strollers and puppies. Other than that, it's pretty good. I think that's their tagline for 26.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00All right. What's your favorite item on the Fidot menu? Fish and chips is always our number one thing, and I crave fish, but I like the fish tacos. So it's the same fish, just a smaller piece, and like I love tacos. So we were talking about tacos earlier. Fish tacos probably is number one.
SPEAKER_03I like to brunch at Fido here in Dublin, and Rosie's brunch bowl shout-out. I think it's underrated, and I really, really like it, and I want one right now.
SPEAKER_00Thank you.
SPEAKER_03Can you give us one secret ingredient on the Fido menu?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so the first thing that I would say that's a secret ingredient that everybody should try is cross-promotion here. Celtic Cocktail Trail.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_00We have an espresso martini that we actually use real espresso on ours. We have a local roaster called Jennings Java. They have a golden espresso bean that we grind and make espresso with to add to the martini. And they're super hot, they're the rage.
SPEAKER_01All right, what's your favorite dish that you want to learn how to cook?
SPEAKER_00You know, I I don't really know much about Asian cuisine, and I've never done like kimchi or any of that stuff. And I I like a lot of that stuff, and I there's very few like cuisines that I don't feel like I know a lot of secrets about. I don't. Because that one would be fun. I'd love to go to cooking classes. Very good.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah, that would be fun. All right. Uh restaurant or not, what was your first job?
SPEAKER_00It was called Jed's Steak and Ribs. Oh, okay. Pass the paper route. The paper out when I was Jed's steak and ribs was great. I was a dishwasher when I started. By the time I left, I was a line cook. I was 18 years old and moved on to other restaurants, the old brown derby group. There used to be something clearless.
SPEAKER_02All right, hairnet or no hairnet?
SPEAKER_00So, you know, in my in my years in the past, we wore hair nets. Now we wear hats. Okay. So I don't think I can get any guys to wear hairnets anymore.
SPEAKER_03No, and you're not going to get anyone to be on a paper route either. Speaking of jobs that don't exist anymore.
SPEAKER_02We covered a lot of ground.
SPEAKER_03We have some listeners out there just scratching their head wondering what we are talking about.
SPEAKER_02So uh okay, Twofer. Favorite country you visited and country you still want to visit.
SPEAKER_00Ireland by far. I I know it sounds like the right answer here, but for me, I haven't been to a million other countries, but Galway in Ireland, my favorite view is having a pint in Galway, listening to Irish music, and it's so much fun. Like you don't ever want to leave. You get into the vortex.
SPEAKER_03All right. Well, let's be honest.
SPEAKER_00So go oh yeah, yeah, wherever you want to visit. So I've never been to the North in Ireland, and that's where our family blood is. Northern Ireland is Scotland.
SPEAKER_02So you're really branching out there.
SPEAKER_00I I I know, but I also want to go to Barcelona and watch a soccer match. So those are right in there.
SPEAKER_03All right. Last question. When people find out what you do for a living, what do they say?
Behind The Scenes Of Hospitality
SPEAKER_00I think most people think of the job and it's got to be really fun, right? Because they see the on-stage moments. They get to see that you meet all these people and you do all these things. What they don't see is what you got to do hours before that to get ready for that on stage moment. The backstage stuff we don't want you to know about. But I think most people think it's really cool, and 90% of it is. That's why I love it. I'm I I have the draw and the attraction to the business and never leave.
Thanks And Closing
SPEAKER_03All right, Scott and F, thank you so much for being here. Thanks for joining us on Link Ahead.
SPEAKER_00You guys are great partners. We appreciate it.
SPEAKER_02And thank you to our listeners uh for taking the time to connect with your city. Tune in next time as we continue to explore the many personalities and experiences that make Dublin a thriving place to live, work, and grow.