Prince George, B.C.- Opening weekend for Operation Red Nose was a record breaker.  The  free service provided  a total of 131 safe rides on Friday and Saturday night, breaking  the record set last year when 122 rides were provided on the opening weekend.

 “Both nights started off a bit slow”, said Andrea Johnson, Operation Red Nose spokesperson, “ but our teams visited all pubs, restaurants and parties to show their colours and let party-goers know we were available to take them home.”

By the time the last safe ride was done on  early Sunday morning,  the teams had  driven a total of  3,624 kilometers.  That would be the same as driving  from Prince George to Winnipeg, and back as far as Edmonton.

Fifty volunteers were on hand at Red Nose headquarters at ICBC both Friday and Saturday nights. They answered calls and were on the road.

“It was great to see so many new faces who volunteered for the first time,” said Johnson. “They were incredible. They were tired by the end of the night, but they all had smiles on their faces and had fun. We are pretty proud of them.”

The next weekend of service is Dec. 6 and 7 and organizers expect to have between 15 to 20 teams on hand to deal with increased demand. Those who require a safe ride home can call 250-962-RIDE (7433).

So far, 234 people have registered to volunteer, however organizers would like about 350 volunteers for 2013. It’s not too late to sign up to help out the remainder of the season that includes Dec. 13, 14, 20, 21 and 31. Volunteers who are interested can go to www.ornpg.ca and apply directly online.