Franklin County residents heading out for Halloween weekend can claim $15 in free Uber or Lyft credits through a state program aimed at keeping impaired drivers off the road.
The Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) is activating its Project Plan Ahead program from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. starting Thursday, Oct. 29 through Monday, Nov. 2, according to Spectrum News 1. New Albany and Gahanna fall within Franklin and Licking Counties.
The program offers up to $15 toward an eligible Uber or Lyft ride. Riders pay anything above that amount. Credits are available while supplies last, and there is one major catch: rides must be requested at the time of travel. They cannot be scheduled in advance, according to the Project Plan Ahead website.
Eligible rides must start in or end in one of the seven participating counties: Franklin, Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Montgomery, Lucas, Summit and Butler.
Ride codes and eligibility details are posted on the Project Plan Ahead website.
Why it matters locally
Franklin County recorded 83 OVI-related crashes during the five-day Halloween reporting period over the past five years, the second-highest total among Ohio counties behind Cuyahoga County's 95, according to Spectrum News 1. Hamilton County had 65 and Montgomery County had 52.
During the 2025 Halloween reporting period, 19 people died in 19 fatal crashes across Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety, as reported by WKYC. Thirteen of those crashes were OVI-related.
Program track record
The OTSO launched Project Plan Ahead over Memorial Day weekend in 2026. That first run saw 2,000 vouchers claimed and more than 1,200 rides taken, according to WKYC. Provisional Ohio State Highway Patrol data showed six traffic fatalities that weekend, the lowest number in 18 years. None were believed to be OVI-related.
Franklin County's 83 OVI-related Halloween crashes over five years rank second statewide, and the credits go live at 5 p.m. Oct. 29.
