It hopes to launch this fall.

Springfield News-Leader reports.

Free rides for drunk college kids: Student-led nonprofit hoping for fall launch

A student-led Springfield nonprofit that aims to combat drunk driving by providing intoxicated college kids with free rides home hopes to launch this fall.

RIDE417, founded last year by two Evangel University students, plans to operate from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with volunteer student drivers shuttling riders from the bars back home. As part of an effort to raise the organization’s profile, co-founder Ally Walsh presented at Wednesday’s 1 Million Cups Springfield meeting, where she said RIDE417 could coexist with traditional taxis and companies like Uber, which has expressed interest in the Springfield market.