If you’ve ever ended up outside a bar doing the classic “OK … how am I getting home?” routine, you already know this is where the night can either end smoothly or turn into a mild crisis.
Let’s keep it smooth.
We all know about the Drink and Dash program. It’ll hook you up with a free taxi ride home, which is great … as long as your night ends at Kadena FSS clubs and restaurants. But what if you take the night off base?
Before You Go Out
Start with a little planning. If you live on base, figure out your contracted taxi service ahead of time. For Kadena, that’s Panda Taxi. Having that lined up means you can actually enjoy your night without worrying about driving, parking or making questionable last-minute decisions.
Heading off base? This is your nonnegotiable checklist: Download and set up GO Taxi, DiDi and Uber. Each app varies by time and location, and weekends get competitive. Having all three gives you a much better shot at getting a ride when you need one.
The biggest advantage of using these apps is not having to give turn-by-turn directions to your driver (iykyk), especially when your brain is running at half capacity. All three apps are reliable, let you book ahead and are surprisingly user-friendly. At this point, having them ready is less of a suggestion and more of a survival strategy.
Getting Home
Here’s the part no one tells you until you’re already tired and slightly regretting your life choices: None of these ride apps can get you onto base. So if you’re heading back to Kadena, you are not getting dropped off at your front door, no matter how confident you feel at 1 a.m.
Here’s the pro move that saves the night:
Set your drop-off to Gate 2. That’s where the Panda Taxi station is, so you can easily catch a ride the rest of the way home.
Plan ahead, use your apps wisely and avoid turning a great night out into a late-night episode of “figure it out.”
Although I’m highlighting helpful apps, just know you always have more options.
Panda Taxi: 098-970-8888
Daiko: 098-932-4035
Zero Excuses Riders of Okinawa: +81-98-961-2233
Do you have an Okinawa-related question or pro tip you want to share?
Email us at LifeAfterLanding@kadenafss.com
Article and Photography by: Marina Chakya