Marine Staff Sgt. Christian Smellie, who created the GY6Lift app to help service members obtain free rides and reduce DUIs, demonstrates hailing a ride with the app in this undated photo. (Christian Smellie)
A Marine staff sergeant has developed a mobile app offering free rides to fellow service members, aiming to reduce drunken driving and the disciplinary actions that can follow.
Christian Smellie, an F-35C Lightning II maintainer with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., launched the GY6Lift app Oct. 8 after years of considering how to address the problem.
Smellie, of Kingston, Jamaica, said the idea took shape during his 2015-20 assignment at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, where he saw service members face career consequences for driving under the influence.
“Ever since I was in Japan seeing all those Marines pretty much destroying their career over a silly thing as drinking and driving — to me it’s super silly,” he said in a March 24 phone interview. “There’s no excuse; you can always call somebody.”
The app connects service members with volunteer drivers for free rides, operating in a format similar to commercial ride-hailing services but limited to military users. Both riders and drivers must verify their affiliation using a Defense Department identification number, while spouses can participate using their partner’s credentials.
GY6Lift, a ride-hailing app developed to reduce service member DUIs, is now in use in Arizona, California, Florida and North Carolina. (Christian Smellie)
GY6Lift — available for both Apple and Android devices — is now in use in Arizona, California, Florida and North Carolina and has provided rides to dozens of passengers so far, Smellie said. About 12 drivers have signed up, including Lance Cpl. Fatima Semane, an administrator in Smellie’s squadron.
“No Marine wants to get in trouble,” she said by phone Wednesday. The app gives service members the confidence to reach out for help and “know for sure whoever’s going to pick me up is not going to be judging me,” she added.
Drunken driving remains a persistent issue among service members, particularly overseas. In Japan, where the legal blood-alcohol limit is 0.03%, Okinawa police detained 64 individuals connected to the U.S. military in 2024 on suspicion of DUI.
Across the force, a 2018 Defense Department health survey found 34% of active-duty personnel reported binge drinking, while 9.8% were classified as heavy drinkers. The survey also found 4.9% of service members reported driving under the influence or riding with an impaired driver.
Smellie said he pitched the app shortly after its launch to his then-commander, Lt. Col. Evan Shockley, who later invited him to present it to Marine Aircraft Group 14 leadership.
Shockley called the app a “great resource.”
“What I really like about it is the fact that it is by service members, for service members, taking care of each other,” he said.
Smellie said he hopes to expand the app internationally, including to Japan, though technical issues have so far limited access on Japanese mobile networks.
“As long as I can save or help save at least one person’s career, the entire year of me trying to make this will be worth it,” he said.
