The Get Home Free Card

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Pre-paid card designed

to get teens out of tight spots

By Richard Crawford

Your daughter’s car breaks down in Minneapolis. You’re on a business trip in St. Cloud. Tensions are high. What to do?

That’s one of many scenarios The Get Home Free Card has been designed to address, according to David Happe, an entrepreneur from Cologne.

For $69, the pre-paid card will allow someone to be picked up and transported by a taxi anywhere in the 11-county metro area, Happe explained. Happe has partnered with Airport Taxi & Town Taxi to provide the service.

Happe envisions the card coming in handy for a variety of reasons. He points to statistics from the Minnesota Student Survey that indicate 30 percent of high school seniors have driven while impaired and 41 percent have been in a car with an impaired driver.

“The statistics are unbelievable,” he said.

Happe said if his children are in a bind that he would hope that he would be their first call, but he said a lot of teens aren’t inclined to call their parents when they’re in a difficult situation.

If they’re in a difficult spot, Happe said, the most important thing is that they get home safely.

“It doesn’t replace parent responsibility, but it’s another tool to use,” he said. “If my daughter uses the card, it’s some of the best money I’ve ever spent. If not, it’s still good to have that peace of mind.”

The cards launch date coincides with the start of the new school year and Happe has reached out to school officials in Chaska, Minnetonka and nearby school districts.

“High school representatives have been extremely responsive,” Happe said.

Chaska High School Principal Paul McMahan, who has heard a preliminary overview of the card, believes it is something parents may want to consider.

“Our general reaction is favorable if it provides kids a safe way home,” McMahan said. “I would rather have kids have a viable option rather than taking a risk. If it provides a safety net, it probably is a good idea to make available to our families.”

Minnetonka High School Principal David Adney is also aware of the card but said the district hasn’t taken a position on it.

“We’re always looking for ways to keep kids safer and help them make good decisions,” Adney said.

While the card initially will be geared to families in a small cluster of schools, Happe hopes to expand to the entire metro area next year and take the card nationwide by 2010.

In addition to discussions with school officials, Happe said he’s received good feedback from parents and students.

“There are parents who are so much in favor of abstinence (from using alcohol) that they have concerns,” Happe said. “But there are 15 different reasons you could use the card and that’s one of them.”

Mothers Against Drunk Driving has a mixed reaction to the concept.

“Our stand is we are against drunk driving and are especially against young people drinking and driving,” said Jean Mulvey, executive director of the MADD chapter, who underscored that drinking by minors is illegal.

But, she also said MADD is always interested in alternative ways of getting people off the street if they are drinking.

 Richard Crawford can be reached at editor@chanvillager.com.