Some Dublin pubs and restaurants will continue offering vouchers for cab fare to patrons who need a safe ride home.

The Dublin Police Department partnered with a few local businesses around the holidays to offer cab fare vouchers to those who may have gotten a little too jolly. Last week, Dublin City Council proclaimed March as "Safe Ride" month and announced a partnership with Franklin County Safe Communities to continue the program.

"I'd really like to thank Central Ohio Safe Ride for partnering with us on this initiative. This is really a continuation of the 'choose your ride' campaign," interim police chief Heinz von Eckartsberg said last week. "It's enabling us to keep this initiative going forward and providing these taxi cab vouchers to establishments in Dublin."

The Central Ohio Safe Ride program provides $10 vouchers for cab fare and is funded by sponsorships from distributing companies and contributions from restaurants, bars and taxi cab companies, a release from Dublin said.

Dublin establishments received 30 complimentary vouchers for joining the program.

According to the Safe Ride website, businesses must pay $50 to join the program and can purchase vouchers for $10. Safe Ride will provide 10 free vouchers for every 20 purchased.

Patrick Byrne, owner of Byrne's Pub in the Grandview area, said the program started around St. Patrick's Day in 2009.

"We're up to 17 establishments participating," he told Dublin City Council members last week. "We're very pleased with the cooperation in Dublin."

According to Linda Tvorik, of Columbus Public Health, 388 vouchers were handed out through the program last year. Dublin's participation in the program "more than doubles" the number involved, she said.

The program most of all is about giving people a safe ride home, especially around holidays like St. Patrick's Day, Tvorik said.

Last year, there were 191 OVI arrests in Dublin and in 2009 there were 124, according to information from the city.

Dublin establishments involved in the Safe Ride program are: Brazenhead Irish Pub, Cabo Cocina, Dublin Village Tavern, Mary Kelley's Restaurant & Pub, Oscar's, Rusty Bucket Restaurant and Tavern and Tutto Vino.