Buffalo Rising Online

Nov 21st 2008, 12:02am By buffalorising

A lot of people have done it. Maybe you've even tried it once or twice. You had one too many and instead of calling someone – a friend, your mom, your roommate – you got in the car and you drove home. You made it alive and without an arrest on your record and you swore it’d never happen again. But since you made it once, you know you’ll be tempted to try it again, except next time, maybe you won’t get so lucky.

It’s hard to make the right decision, especially if it involves calling a cab. Sure you can get a taxi to take you home, but the process of having to get your car in the morning is a real hassle. Bar veteran Michael Mule and his partners PJ Basile and Michael Peluso knew that story all too well. They hadn’t just read the headlines and heard the statistics, they watched people stumble out of a bar and had to shudder at the thought of them getting behind the wheel and driving home.

These three entrepreneurs saw a niche and decided to fill it. In October they started “Designated Drivers of Buffalo” – a business that will get you to your house with your own car in the garage. How does it work? Same way it might in real life if you had the friends willing to do it. A car comes out to your location. The car is marked so you know it’s really the company, but just in case, the two men in the car have ID badges and wear uniforms. The two men are both professional drivers who have passed a rigorous background check and driving course prior to being employed. From there, one driver gets in your car with you and drives it back to your house while the other follows behind in the company car. Once home, the driver gets back in the company car, and just like that, your car in your own garage.

The best part about this business isn’t just that it fill s a void in the market, it’s that it may help eliminate the danger drunk drivers impose to others on the road, pedestrians, buildings, lamp posts, dogs, cats, everything else, and most importantly, themselves. Drunk driving always hurts more than just the person driving and organizations like MADD have fought for years to put an end to it. The best part is, if you know you’re out to get smashed, you can even call and make a reservation, though its recommended you do so before 9 PM on the night of your late night activities. The service is confidential, so there’s no embarrassment of not being lucid enough to get yourself home. Also, if you’ve had too many but don’t know how to stop, the drivers are only allowed to transport you to a home or similar accommodation – not another bar or restaurant. They even offer corporate packages.

This company has the opportunity to really take off. If anyone’s walked down Chippewa after a Sabres game or Thursday at the Square concert, you have to know that many will not be driving home sober. Hopefully this company can put a dent in that frightening number. You can learn more by calling 812-4025 or by visiting their website at Ddobny.com.