A lot of people will be drinking as they watch Sunday's Super Bowl game, but a local man wants to make sure they don't get behind the wheel.
A lot of people's excuse for not calling a cab after drinking is they don't want to leave their car behind. The owner of Designated Driver Inc. wants to eliminate that excuse. "Originally I just wanted to get me and my car home, there was nothing else like this in Bakersfield," said James Grasty. Three years ago Grasty came up with a solution to his own problem. He opened a business in Bakersfield called Designated Driver Inc.
"We drive you and your car home. We show up with me and my driver in the back seat." He gets out drives the customer's car home, it's that simple. "Pretty much eliminates the biggest excuse why people drive drunk." "A lot of people want their car the next morning, they need to get to work they don't want to deal with going to get it," said Lynn Grant who works at the Padre Hotel and often recommends DDI. "Cabs are kind of dirty and people want the convenience of their own vehicle, they want to know it's home safe," said Wes Hamman, a Bakersfield man out for a night on the town Friday.
Grasty charges $45 per ride, up to ten miles. If you need to go farther, or make any stops, say for a late night snack on the way home, they don't mind, but that'll be extra. Grasty says they have some loyal clientele, and if you're a frequent flyer, you get discounts. Friday we'll probably end up doing 20 to 30 rides, Saturday like 30 or 40."
The teams of drivers operate seven days a week from about six at night, until the calls stop coming in, typically between two to four in the morning. And even though it may cost more than a cab, those we talked to say they're willing to pay the price. "You don't have to worry about where your car is or how you're going to get home," said Tawny Hamman.
If you'd like a ride call 431-3854, and make sure you call about 45 minutes to an hour before you want to leave. Grasty is also working on opening DDI's in other cities around California.
