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.

Uber | Youtube

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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