Mayor Offers Free Taxi Rides in El Paso — Here’s the Number to Call

Mayor Oscar Leeser dropped by to talk about the "Don't Gamble With Your Life" campaign in which individuals who've been drinking can get a free cab ride. The magic number is 915-212-7777.

I'm 100% on board with keeping drunk drivers off the street but I do have a couple points of concern.

1.) The rides are given through Sun City Cab who is reimbursed by the city. If I'm the owner of a rival cab company, I'm not very happy that my competition is being subsidized...underwritten...by the city and taxpayers. Worse, I've got to compete against FREE service. How is that fair?? Who chose Sun City Cab? Why were they given favor over the other cab companies??

2.) There's nothing in place to verify that people using the mayor's taxi are ACTUALLY DRUNK! In fact, they don't even have to prove that they've been drinking at all.

It seems to me that this is a situation ripe for exploiting. Need a ride? Don't pay for one...just say you're drunk! Again, I'd be really peeved if I was Sun City's competition. "You mean not only are drunks getting free rides, but ANYBODY can get a free ride, any time of day, seven days a week...at taxpayer expense?!?!?"