Designated drivers use scooters to get you and your car home
Hendrik Sybrandy | Reporter
KDVR Denver
8:21 a.m. MST, December 21, 2010
DENVER -- Holiday revelers in Denver who've perhaps had one drink too
many now have a new option for getting back home safely. Denver Roadies
will drive you in your own car back to your house.
Their "designated driver" will then leave on a motor scooter he's folded up in your car trunk.
"So far people love it," said Casey Bobay, who began the service this
past summer. "We're a fun group of guys so it's a fun ride home. The
convenience of it is fantastic."
Bobay was looking for an alternative to the traditional cab ride
home, which forces customers to leave their vehicles in a bar area
overnight. He found it when he noticed a widespread use of scooters on a
trip to London.
Denver Roadies charges $20 for the initial pickup and then $2 a mile
after that. Bobay said Monday it's more expensive than a one-way cab
fare but much cheaper than a round-trip and "outrageously cheaper than a
D.U.I."
One man on the 16th Street Mall said this is a service he may use in the future.
"Sounds like a clutch thing to me," said Ben Turner. "I'd like to use that, definitely."
Bobay, who pioneered the use of pedicabs in downtown Denver, said his
new company averages a customer or two a night. He said Thanksgiving
Eve was his busiest night, with 12 customers. He expects New Year's Eve
to be busier still.
"We're hoping a lot of people make the right decision and give us a
call and let us take them home," he said. "Bring in the New Year in the
right way."