Drunks will have no excuse for driving home after a night on the town thanks to a new free taxi service in Hamilton.

The Centre for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention (CADA) is relaunching its Let Us Drive minibus campaign this Friday with an extra element — a voucher system giving those who've had too much to drink a ride home in a taxi at zero cost.

The free minibus service, sponsored by Bacardi, was launched as a trial in May in a bid to reduce drinking and driving on the Island's roads.

CADA chairman Anthony Santucci said it had proved a big success so was being extended for the next four months with extra nights during Christmas and New Year.

The new taxi voucher scheme will operate in the early hours of Saturday morning each week when a CADA representative will be stationed outside Butterfield Bank on Front Street from 3.15 a.m. to 3.45 a.m.

Participating taxi drivers will be given one voucher per customer and will be able to carry more than one passenger at a time.

After 3.45 a.m. there will be two free minibuses — one heading east and one west — outside Cafe Cairo on Front Street. The buses will have a security officer and will take revellers to their home or as close as possible.

Mr. Santucci said: "We are happy to provide this essential, potentially life-saving service to people who have been out late at night and need an alternative to driving.

"While the logistics of the service are essentially the same as they were when we introduced it earlier this year, there have been some positive additions. We will be working closely with the Bermuda Taxi Association and local taxi companies. We are pleased to have their support."

He added: "This service continues to reflect CADA's position on responsible alcohol sales, service and consumption. We do not advocate excessive drinking and want to remind the public of the many dangers of excessive consumption to both themselves and to others around them."

Albert James, from Bermuda Taxi Association, said: "The Bermuda Taxi Association supports this meaningful and worthwhile venture and looks forward to working with CADA and Bacardi on this initiative."