Nez Rouge puts out call for volunteers ahead of holiday season

The holiday season is right around the corner and Opération Nez Rouge is gearing up for another year of offering rides to party-goers who are too tired or inebriated to drive home.

Last year, volunteers with Nez Rouge gave around 56,000 rides across Quebec.

The 36th year of the campaign begins on Nov. 29 and runs until Dec. 31.

With office holiday parties on the horizon, Nez Rouge is launching a call for volunteers.

For Mark Infante, director of operations for Nez Rouge Montreal, "the more volunteers, the better it is."

He says on some nights, the phone lines are ringing off the hook and there's not enough drivers for everyone who wants a lift.

Volunteers can sign up using the Nez Rouge mobile app, but they have to take part in training and background checks before they can hit the road.

Having launched in Quebec City in 1984, Nez Rouge now operates in more than 60 communities across the province.

People use the service by calling a hotline where drivers are dispatched to where the client is located with their car. 

The volunteers then drive the client's car home with them, so they don't have to get behind the wheel themselves.

Though the program is free, cash donations are welcomed, even after the fact.

"We'll bring you back home and the second day after, you come and give us some help," suggested Infante.