Silent heroes of the road Nez Rouge driver: "I get everyone home. The main thing is that the car has four wheels"
The volunteer drivers are waiting for their assignments at the Kriens road traffic office near Lucerne.
Image: blue News
Catering is provided for the volunteer drivers.
Image: blue News
The drivers' red jackets are the Nez Rouge trademark.
Image: blue News
Operations center: The volunteers answer the phone calls and record the data - President Simon Bammert - with the red jacket - coordinates the trips. An app has been specially programmed for the needs of Nez Rouge.
Image: blue News
Barbara and Charles are Team 9 that evening as they prepare for their next ride. But first the question arises: where is the customer waiting - and where should they be taken? Before they set off, they have to confirm their journey in the app so that the operations center knows their current location.
Image: blue News
Advertising material.
Image: blue News
Nez Rouge will take you home safely free of charge - a donation is welcome.
Image: blue News
Goodie bag from the Eichhof brewery, which supports Nez Rouge. Mineral and non-alcoholic beer are available for passengers.
Image: blue News
Type the address into the satnav - and off you go from Kriens LU to Hitzkirch LU ...
Image: blue News
... customer Dani is using the Nez Rouge transport service for the first time. He has a company party and wants to get home safely.
Image: blue News
Nez Rouge volunteer Barbara: "I love driving. I'll drive any car. As long as it has four wheels and is roadworthy."
Image: blue News
Customer Dani is grateful for the safe ride and thanks her with a donation.
Image: blue News
Heroes of the night: Barbara and Charles volunteer to drive guests home safely.
Image: blue News
The volunteer drivers are waiting for their assignments at the Kriens road traffic office near Lucerne.
Image: blue News
Catering is provided for the volunteer drivers.
Image: blue News
The drivers' red jackets are the Nez Rouge trademark.
Image: blue News
Operations center: The volunteers answer the phone calls and record the data - President Simon Bammert - with the red jacket - coordinates the trips. An app has been specially programmed for the needs of Nez Rouge.
Image: blue News
Barbara and Charles are Team 9 that evening as they prepare for their next ride. But first the question arises: where is the customer waiting - and where should they be taken? Before they set off, they have to confirm their journey in the app so that the operations center knows their current location.
Image: blue News
Advertising material.
Image: blue News
Nez Rouge will take you home safely free of charge - a donation is welcome.
Image: blue News
Goodie bag from the Eichhof brewery, which supports Nez Rouge. Mineral and non-alcoholic beer are available for passengers.
Image: blue News
Type the address into the satnav - and off you go from Kriens LU to Hitzkirch LU ...
Image: blue News
... customer Dani is using the Nez Rouge transport service for the first time. He has a company party and wants to get home safely.
Image: blue News
Nez Rouge volunteer Barbara: "I love driving. I'll drive any car. As long as it has four wheels and is roadworthy."
Image: blue News
Customer Dani is grateful for the safe ride and thanks her with a donation.
Image: blue News
Heroes of the night: Barbara and Charles volunteer to drive guests home safely.
Image: blue News
Anyone who no longer feels fit to drive during the holidays can be chauffeured home in their own car by the volunteers from "Nez Rouge". blue News was on the road with the silent heroes of the streets.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- During the Advent and Christmas season, "Nez Rouge" volunteers take people home safely in their own cars if they no longer feel fit to drive.
- In Lucerne, around 14 teams volunteer on any given evening - motivated by team spirit, gratitude and the feeling of doing good.
- Stories such as wrong addresses or spontaneous Tesla rides show that the night-time missions are often unforgettable and moving.
Barbara is just about to play her Jass card when a message lights up on her Nez Rouge mobile app: the first ride of the evening is about to start. It's the Friday evening before Christmas and a customer no longer feels fit to drive after a business dinner.
14 teams of two plus a five-person dispatch team are ready for the "Nez Rouge" rides today - all volunteers. This evening, several Heineken employees are also lending a hand, as the company has been supporting "Nez Rouge" for some time.
The "Nez Rouge" headquarters of the Lucerne section is located in the offices of the road traffic office in Kriens - which also provides the offices free of charge. It is a perfect location because drivers can park here, wait for calls in the offices and be on the highway in no time.
Before Barbara and her colleague Charles - they are on the road today as "Team 9" - drive out into the black night, they check the route on Google Maps and confirm the order in the app so that the head office is informed of the current location and the status of the journey.
It's off to Hitzkirch LU, around 30 minutes away by car.
Whether CEO or office worker: everyone is equal at "Nez Rouge"
Barbara from Kerns OW has been a volunteer driver for more than ten years. Her motivation? "It gives me a good feeling when I know that I have brought some people home safely," says the administration specialist.
She ended up as a volunteer at "Nez Rouge" by chance and found the welcome and team spirit great, so she was hooked.
Fellow volunteer Charles, who also lives in the canton of Obwalden and is retired, also appreciates the camaraderie: "In my 16 years, I've made a few friends and we sometimes meet up for a game of Jass or a hiking trip." What Charles particularly appreciates about "Nez Rouge": "The fact that everyone there is equal. Regardless of whether you're a CEO or a bueetzer."
Not every mission is memorable - but there are some stories that the volunteers like to tell again and again. Like the anecdote that Charles tells: A colleague took a visibly intoxicated passenger home - at least that's what he thought. "It later turned out that the man hadn't given his own address while intoxicated, but that of his ex-wife."
Or the story of his colleague Jean Pierre, also a long-time volunteer. When he mentioned in an interview that his dream was to be allowed to drive a Tesla once in his life, a reader didn't hesitate for long - and fulfilled his wish without further ado.
Unpleasant situations? None. "At most, someone threw up once," says Barbara, waving her hand. Much more often, she says, it was touching encounters, genuine gratitude and the good feeling of being needed.
"I love driving the car"
In Hitzkirch, guest Dani is already waiting for Barbara and Charles. After a company party, he is happy to be driven home by "Nez Rouge".
Dani sits in the passenger seat of his car, which Barbara will drive home to him. Charles will follow in the Nez Rouge car in which the two volunteers arrived. Barbara has the car keys handed to her, gets in and drives off without hesitation: "I love driving. I get everyone home safely as long as the car has four wheels and is roadworthy."
She has only asked once - when the futuristic dashboard and navigation system of a BMW overwhelmed her. The passenger had to explain briefly.
Arriving at her destination, Dani thanks her profusely, wishes her happy holidays and hands Barbara a 50-franc note. A tip as a token of appreciation. The trips are free of charge, but voluntary contributions are gladly accepted. They make it possible for people who can no longer safely drive themselves to use this voluntary service. Once the expenses are covered, the surplus money is donated by "Nez Rouge" to a charitable organization.
Let's move on!
The night is still young. Shortly before midnight, Barbara and Charles are on the road again. On this Friday evening before Christmas, the silent helpers from "Nez Rouge" have their hands and feet full.
While her customers are still celebrating, clinking glasses and enjoying each other's company, Barbara is far from tired. On the contrary: she is looking forward to more driving assignments. She puts her heart and soul into it: "I enjoy bringing people home safely and preventing potential accidents," she says. "And I always meet interesting, grateful people. That fulfills me."
What is Nez Rogue?
- Nez Rouge is a prevention campaign in the run-up to Christmas. Drivers who are no longer fit to drive - or who feel unsafe due to the weather conditions - are accompanied home in their own vehicle free of charge after calling 0800 802 208. Tips are welcome.
- Between January and November, the chargeable "Nez Rouge" service can also be booked for private events.
- Nez Rouge was founded in Québec in 1984, came to Switzerland in 1990 and has also been active in German-speaking Switzerland since 1994. By December 2024, volunteers had brought a total of 545,210 people home safely.
- The Lucerne section covers the cantons of Lucerne, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Uri.
