The Arizona Republic
These drivers chauffeur you in your own vehicle....

Most people are infuriated by drunken drivers, but Jason Kaplan embraces them.

In fact, the recent Arizona State University marketing graduate is building a business around them. For $50 an hour, Kaplan's company, The Driver Provider, will drive partygoers who've had too much to drink home in their own cars.

Businesses hire a pair of Kaplan's employees to show up when their party is dying down. The disc jockey or party sponsor usually announces the drivers' arrival and lets the partygoers know the pair will drive home anyone who doesn't think he or she can make it safely.

Using the car the person came in, one of Kaplan's drivers takes the person home. A second driver follows in another car, so he can take the first driver back to the party.

All of Kaplan's drivers are insured to drive another person's automobile, he said.

Kaplan says his service is a big hit with corporations and individuals, because it's cheaper than chartering a limousine, more personable than calling for a cab and loved by vehicle owners who don't want to leave their cars on the street overnight.

"It's better than taking a taxi home, " Kaplan said. "It's one thing to get home safely, but no one likes to leave their car."

Prudential Securities recently used the service to get workers home from a party at the El Chorro Lodge in Phoenix.

After spending two years managing a downtown Phoenix bar and watching intoxicated patrons drive away, Kaplan said he's glad to be marketing a service that makes streets safer.

Holiday parties are keeping Kaplan and his staff of one full-time and six on-call drivers busy, he said. The demand is especially heavy on weekends, he said.

On Dec. 9, a holiday party was held at the Phoenix Country Club for about 235 employees of Kitchell Construction. Although none of the Kitchell employees needed a ride home, Joan Korljan, the executive secretary who arranged for The Driver Provider to attend the party, said hiring the firm was still worth it.

"We've always provided a taxi for people if they wanted it, then we'd reimburse them," Korljan said. "The only problem was, the next day, somebody would have to take them back and get their car."

The benefit of hiring The Driver Provider, Korljan said, is that there is less concern about the company being held liable if an intoxicated employee causes an accident.

Steve Cunningham, owner of Carey Phoenix Limousine and president of the Arizona Livery Association, a professional organization of limousine-service owners, said Kaplan's business fills a niche.

"It's a good concept," Cunningham said. "When the business is buying all the drinks for the evening, they're open to liability lawsuits. Some businesses have thought about that, but many haven't."

Kaplan doesn't just cater to parties. People have found his service useful for other holiday trips.

He recently drove an elderly Sun City woman to visit friends in Tucson. Kaplan said she prefers being driven in her own car, as opposed to taking a bus or taxi. Plus, she can bring her two dogs along.

Penny Gimble of Scottsdale, a closet designer, used the chauffeur service when her diabetic sister-in-law from Philadelphia visited for Thanksgiving. While Gimble was busy at work, a driver from The Driver Provider used Gimble's car to transport her sister-in-law back and forth from the doctor's office for dialysis.