SoberRide has funds for the Fourth

The taxis that provide free rides home to the inebriated are back on the road for July 4 after a last-minute rush of donors came up with $31,000 to keep the program afloat.

Big contributors came up with most of the money -- MillerCoors gave $15,000; GEICO and the Century Council each pitched in $ 5,000; the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington gave $ 2,000; the Beer Institute, Capitol Outdoor and Washington Wholesalers each contributed $ 1,000 -- but scores of individuals gave amounts ranging from $20 to $500, according to the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program.

WRAP has operated the program during holiday periods for 17 years. It will offer free cab rides to would-be drunk drivers throughout the region from 10 p.m. Sunday until 6 a.m. on Monday July 5. To get a free ride home (up to a $50 fare), call the SoberRide program at 1-800-200-TAXI.

-- Ashley Halsey III