What is Operation Red Nose?
Operation Red Nose is a free designated driver program that you can count on to get you and your vehicle home from holiday celebrations, nights out with friends, house parties, and more.
Call our Red Nose call centre hotline on campaign nights between 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. at 204-947-6673 to request a volunteer drive team pick-up. When it’s your turn in the queue, two drive team volunteers will drive you and your guests home in your vehicle while the third volunteer follows in the team escort vehicle.
Hours of Operation
Our phones are open on campaign nights from 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. To request a ride, please call 30 to 45 minutes before your preferred pick-up time.
Wait times may vary according to the number of teams on our schedule and the number of rides already booked ahead of your phone booking.
We do not take advance bookings except corporate party bookings of 12 or more people. To book advanced service for all your partygoers, please call 431-800-6673.
In 2024, Operation Red Nose will operate on the following dates:
- November 29
- November 30
- December 6
- December 7
- December 13
- December 14
- December 20
- December 21
- December 27
- December 28
- December 31 (New Year’s Eve)
What happens when you call Operation Red Nose?
When you call 204-947-6673 to schedule a ride home, our phone operator will ask some questions, including:
Operation Red Nose is a designated driver program; we take YOU home in YOUR vehicle.
We’re seeking information on your vehicle’s make and model, license plate number, and colour. The more information you can give us, the better; it will help us locate you and your car.
Two drive team volunteers will drive you home in your vehicle, and we need to ensure enough room for everyone. If your car has five seat belts, you have room for the two drive team volunteers, yourself, and two friends. If there are three friends with you, we’ll try to figure out how to make it work.
We usually don’t call when we are on our way, but it does help if we are having difficulty finding you in a busy bar or Christmas party.
Please help us find you by providing accurate information. The name will work fine if you are in a public place, such as a bar or restaurant. If you are at a private party at your friend’s house, please give us the house address.
After you’ve booked Operation Red Nose
On an average festive holiday weekend, expect a 30-60-minute wait from the time you call to when our team arrives to pick you up. If it varies significantly from this, our dispatcher will contact you to let you know after you have booked your ride.
On New Year’s Eve, as with wait times for cabs, Ubers, etc., Operation Red Nose can be up to 90 minutes or longer, but we do our best to keep wait times to a minimum and keep you informed.
Watch for the drive team volunteers around the 30-45-minute mark. Look for two or three people wearing our iconic red vests. Many times, you will find them before they find you.
When everyone’s buckled up and ready to go in your vehicle, two drive team volunteers will drive you home while the escort volunteer will follow in their car.
When you arrive home, the volunteer driver will park your vehicle where you requested it to be and return your keys. Volunteers can help you donate to the Winnipeg Kids Foundation. Learn more about the Winnipeg Kids Foundation here. [LINK TO WEBSITE]
The volunteer drive team will return to the escort vehicle and return to their next call!
Where Rudy and his friends fly
Operation Red Nose Winnipeg’s core operating area is within the city’s perimeter. However, we can also service the following nearby communities.
Rural locations, please note:
- Unfortunately, in 2024, Selkirk’s Operation Red Nose will not operate. We’ll do our best to accommodate rides to get you home, but there may be an extended wait, or it may not be possible, depending on how many teams we have on our roster each night. Gas and mileage on personal vehicles are also factors with our escort drivers, so please consider this with donations when any rides toward Selkirk occur.
- Requests for rides for the area between Winnipeg and other communities operating local Operation Red Nose campaigns may result in a transfer between Operation Red Nose teams in Winnipeg and your local community. These rides depend on the drive team’s availability in both locations to allow the transfer.
- Requests for rides to more distant locations outside of Winnipeg are dependent on weather conditions and drive team availability.
Book your party!
You don’t have to rein in the fun. Party on knowing your guests can get themselves and their vehicles home safely with Operation Red Nose this holiday season!
Let us know when your corporate, community or private party is, and we’ll drop off a Party Pack complete with posters, table coasters, tent cards and business cards with our Red Nose call centre hotline number for you to display and distribute during your party.
Take it a step further and participate in our ride voucher program. Donate to Operation Red Nose on your guests’ behalf, and we’ll include ride vouchers with your Party Pack for your guests to give to the volunteer drive team.
Contacting us before your event also helps us know how many volunteers we’ll need! Thank you for using Operation Red Nose!
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