Service initiated by three young businessmen to provide driver facility for Mumbai’s party-goers.
In this fast-paced city, where you are caught up with your professional life, late night is probably the only time you get to chill and spend time with friends in pubs or discotheques. And, how about a couple of drinks? Oh!
Due to many drunken driving accidents, the traffic police came out with stringent rules in the city in 2008. A violation results in a fine of Rs2,000 plus likely arrest. This hit party- and club-goers and also affected the sale of alcohol. Business at bars and restaurant started declining too.
As many drunken driving cases got reported in the city, three young men came up with a novel idea. Ankur Vaid, Saurabh Shah and Mishal Raheja, who have been friends since school, decided to provide drivers to take you home safely, if you have had a couple of drinks. “I noticed two years back, due to drunken driving, people don’t just risk their own lives but also the lives of others. Then an idea struck us, that we should provide drivers for party-goers and those who get drunk,” said Saurabh.
In December 2007, they started the service, Party Hard Drivers (PHD). “The response was encouraging. We started with 40 drivers in 2007. It has gone up to more than 150. Now, we provide a 24-hour service,” added Saurabh.
Due to an increase in demand, they recently started a round-the-clock service. It is convenient, especially during weekends, when there is a huge demand. Many prefer to book the driver well in advance. “Our drivers are well-trained and are registered with the police. They can be recognised by their uniforms. People can trust them as they are not allowed to drink while driving. You can be assured that you will reach home safe and sound,” said Mishal.
The service is available across Mumbai. You can contact the drivers by calling the office numbers. The call attendant takes the details and informs the driver who is available at the closest point to you. The process works fast and you can get immediate service.
“Despite having more than 100 drivers, we get huge bookings during weekends.
Sometimes, I wonder if there is a need for more drivers. This is why we have started an advance booking service, so that people can plan early,” said Ankur.
“In two months, we will expand to Delhi. Soon, we will start an online service too. And payments can then be done through credit cards,” said Saurabh.
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