You’ve probably seen the billboards, the ones that say “You just blew $10,000.”
They’re anti-DUI adverts, and the idea is that by the time you pay legal fees and fines, you’ll have dropped 10 grand.
Sadly, many of Asheville’s breweries are on the periphery, and if you don’t have a designated driver, you’ll need to pay cab fare if you have one-too-many local beers — or face the dollars signs and dangers.
But now, there’s a solution to this problem, at least on Saturdays, anyway.
For $10, the Hop and Go shuttle bus transports beer enthusiasts to Pisgah, Highland, French Broad, Altamont and Wedge. The new service, which is set to launch Saturday, July 13, is a project of Asheville Brews Cruise, a guided tour company that takes visitors to several breweries for about $50.
“We get lots of calls, especially in the summertime, of people who don’t necessarily want tours, but they want to get to the out-of-town breweries,” says Shawna Hart, general manager of Asheville Brews Cruise.
The Hop and Go is a stripped-down version of the group’s offerings. “The shuttle service is just a ride to the breweries,” Hart says. “It’s basically a bus route that just goes to the breweries.”
Pickup begins at 1:30 p.m. at the Vance Memorial downtown. The buses return an hour later and continue to take people out until 7:30. (Last call to leave the breweries is about 8:30 p.m.) One bus goes east to Pisgah and Highland. The other goes west to Altamont, Wedge and French Broad.
Rides cost $5 from one stop to another, although the routes don’t necessarily begin downtown. Get on the 30-seat school bus (equipped with a popcorn machine) at any brewery and ride to another stop on that route, or catch a lift downtown. “You can just go to your closest brewery,” Hart says. “We say, ‘A ride for the price of a pint.’”
Get unlimited rides for a day for $25 or for a year for $80.
Hop and Go also offers special event shuttles to Pisgah Brewing’s concerts, and as popularity increases, Hart explains the buses could run with greater frequency. “We’ll run it everyday if we can,” she says.
For more information and tickets, visit abchopandgo.com. Tickets are also available at the bus.
I don’t see how this will help the DUI problem unless the bus is going to drive the beer drinkers all the way to their homes after they have imbibed at the various breweries.