Students won’t have to
call Regis for a lifeline
By jennifer dome
Staff Writer
SOUTH RIVER — Borough police have introduced a unique and potentially lifesaving tool for local students this year.
Police Chief Wesley Bomba has issued Lifeline Cards to the borough’s school district for students to use in an emergency. The cards, provided by Student Lifeline Inc. of Bayside, N.Y., enable students to call a number that will connect them with a taxi to take them home from any location in which they are stranded, free of charge.
The cards were given to every senior at South River High School, Bomba said, and Superintendent of Schools John Ambrogi also gave the cards to student advisers.
The Student Lifeline program, which was started in 1988, distributes approximately 2.5 million cards annually, according to the company, whose Web site is www.studentlifeline.com The cards are funded through local advertisers whose business names and phone numbers are printed on the cards. The advertisers are sought out by Student Lifeline Inc. once the municipality expresses an interest.
They were provided at no cost to the borough, which is the first area municipality to use the cards, according to Richard Signarino, director of the company.
Since students are often caught without a ride when their car breaks down or if they find themselves in a dangerous situation, Bomba said, the cards will be a tool that students can rely on. The cards can be used by a student who does not want to get into a car being driven by a friend or relative who has been drinking.
"Under specific guidelines appearing on the front panel of each Lifeline Card, just about anyone may utilize this free emergency ride program. However, it was originally intended to bring teens home avoiding threatening dates or drunk drivers — still the No. 1 cause of death in this age group," the Student Lifeline Web site states.
Parents can even use the card if their child needs a ride to a baby sitter or a relative, and the parents are unable to pick them up, Bomba said. He added that since many households have two working parents, or one working parent, the Lifeline Cards will hopefully bring some relief.
According to the Student Lifeline Web site, the cards have unlimited use, 24 hours a day, for one year. The company pays the participating taxi firm upon receipt of the invoice, so the caller does not need any money for the ride.
Student Lifeline Inc. will pay up to $100 per incident, plus a 15-percent gratuity, the Web site states.

