Lewis Hamilton Heads up Diageo's Free Tube Travel on New Year's Eve

Booze company Diageo, are this year's sponsor of free New Year's Eve travel on the London Underground. After last year's contraversy with high interest online lending company "Wonga" which some London Assembly members called "shameful" and "a total disgrace", Boris decided to play safe & get everyone's favourite driver Lewis Hamilton to promote the idea that instead of drinking & driving we should use the Tube to travel instead.



Lewis Hamilton said "Whilst we all want to have a good time this party season, a good time will be a better one if you can remember it and get home safely. Diageo sponsoring free travel is going to make it a little easier for us to all get home this New Year’s Eve and this campaign will remind us to drink responsibly for a great night out".

An advertising campaign will run across TfL's network including on Tubes, buses and Tube stations promoting responsible drinking. Tube travellers at selected central London stations will receive "top tips" and free bottles of water on some of the busiest party nights of the year (yeah, water from a booze company, remember Boris banned drinking alcohol on the public transport a few years ago) so Diageo can continue to show you how to have a safer night out.

London Underground's MD Mike Brown said "Tens of thousands of people stand to benefit from the sponsorship deal thanks to the Mayor and Diageo. With so many people choosing to enter the New Year in the Capital, it is important that we are able to provide services that will be running throughout the night to get them home safely".



On an strangely empty platform (the eagle eyed & Tube aficianados will know it's because it was shot at Charing Cross's Jubilee Line platform which is closed to the public & now only used for publicity stunts & film location shots), Lewis casually chats with a London Underground operator about what it's like to drive a Tube train.



He then hops into the carriage to pose with some extras about how fun it is to travel on the London Underground over the New Year.  This is probably the only time since Hamilton became famous that he's stepped foot into a Tube carriage.



It's a joy to see how happy he is with his Vodafone mobile clutched in his hand (good luck with WiFi down there Lewis, as not sure what's happening after wifi on the Tube trial) and people smiling happily while drinking their free bottles of water after a fun night out.

Transport for London have been providing free travel for "revellers" on New Year’s Eve since 2001. Diageo has signed a three year deal with TfL to sponsor free travel on New Year’s Eve. This first advertising campaign will run from 9 December until the New Year.

Seriously in my opinion it's a better move to have a drinks company sponsoring free Tube Travel than a bank or online loan company with extremely high interest rates.



What do you think?

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