Uber Takes on Designated Driver Duties With Breathalyzer Kiosks in Toronto

Say what you will about Uber, but the controversial ridesharing service knows how to drum up publicity.

Its latest marketing stunt is a sidewalk kiosk equipped with a breathalyzer in a bar-heavy area of Toronto. With the promise "you drink, we drive," users are asked to blow into the breathalyzer and, if they're over the legal limit, they're offered a ride home from an Uber driver.

Passengers in the company's promotional video below receive a free ride, something that could potentially backfire by incentivizing people to drink enough to score a free ride home. New Uber users can also get a free ride using the code "UberSafe2015."

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Uber worked with creative agency Rethink and design and fabrication studio Stacklab to craft the promotion, reports Adweek. Even if the campaign is short-lived and limited to Toronto, it might serve as a reminder that there are alternatives to driving drunk – and, in Uber's mind, lead to new customers. 

The San Francisco-based startup, which continues to face regulatory battles domestically and abroad, also just announced a new service in India's capital to let users hail auto-rickshaws and pay in cash for the first time. India is Uber's biggest market after the U.S.

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