Area bar strikes new partnership with Lyft

Bleachers Pub in Westby is one of several county tavern league bars that offers safe rides.

But Vernon County does not have a tavern league.

“We don’t have any service past 9 p.m,” Bleachers Pub owner Shanna Jensen said.

The bar recently made a deal with one of the country’s biggest ride-sharing companies.

“We partnered with Lyft, a ride service, that the Tavern League will be supporting to help us get people home safely,” Jensen said.

The customer would not pay a single penny.

“We at the bar would request a ride through Lyft,” Jensen said. “And then, the driver would show up here, pick up the patron. We would pay ahead of time.”

Then, Bleachers and other bars who team up with Lyft would get some money back in return.

“The tavern league would reimburse us for most of that ride,” Jensen said.

Lyft drivers would pick up customers from 9 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

“We want to make sure that our local patrons get home safely, which helps reduce any fatalities or accidents on the road, which we’ve all seen what that can do,” Jensen said.

Jensen says they’ve gotten great feedback.

“We’ve had a positive response, overwhelmingly positive response from other taverns in the area that have been looking for this service, as well as our patrons,” Jensen said.

In the end, getting people home safely is all that matters.

“It’s one of those things where we want to be a good partner to the community,” Jensen said. “That’s the number one thing.”