We Drive Drunks

Source: The Salina Journal, Kan.迷你倉Dec. 29--When he was in Wichita with friends a while back, Robert Stewart heard of a business called "Safe Ride," which is essentially a designated driver for hire when people have had too much alcohol to drive safely."I'd never heard of a designated driver service," he said. "I was kind of intrigued by the idea."After some Internet research, he found similar services all over the country, and "I thought, why not do this in Saline County?"The business kicked off Nov. 21, with the name We Drive Drunks."I wanted something that would stand out," he said. "You really don't forget that name."The service is available from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday, at least for now, Stewart said, though he plans to go to seven days a week through New Year's.He's been distributing business cards through local bars and liquor stores, and said "response has been great. People think it's a great idea."His business cards are sponsored by a local beer distributor, and include the web address wedrivedrunks.net.The service not only takes a person home but also brings their car back home, Stewart said.That means the customer's car has to have insurance -- and proof of it in the car, Stewart said."We won't pick people up who don't have insurance," he said. "You're giving the keys to me, and we're not going to drive a car without valid insurance in the car. We ask on the phone, and visually check; if you can't pr文件倉ve it, we're not driving your car."We go out in teams of two, and one drives your car and one drives the chase car," he said.Business has been goodAt $3 a mile, it's more expensive than a taxi, he said, but the added benefit of not having to retrieve a car the next morning is worth it to many people."Business has been pretty good," he said. "We've already had some repeat customers, who think it's a great idea."I had to come up with a price-point," he said. "At $3 a mile, I can make a buck, and each of the drivers can make a buck -- and they get to keep the tips."In just the short time he's been in business, he's already adapted to some customer requests."We had people asking if we could drive them from one bar to another," he said. "If you want to use us two or three times during a night, we'll do that."Rush and peak timesSo far, Stewart has hired four drivers, which generally has been enough to handle calls, he said."We get a rush between midnight and 2 (a.m.) and a peak from 2 to 2:30," he said. "We've covered it pretty well so far -- it's hard to find people who want to work those hours."-- Reporter Mike Strand can be reached at 822-1418 or by email at mstrand@salina.com.--NAME: Robert Stewart--AGE: 51--OCCUPATION: Owner, We Drive Drunks--TIME ON THE JOB: 5 weeksCopyright: ___ (c)2013 The Salina Journal (Salina, Kan.) Visit The Salina Journal (Salina, Kan.) at .saljournal.com Distributed by MCT Information Services存倉