Here you will learn everything about dial a driver. How does it work to how much does the service cost? How to best benefit from this wonderful service. How to avoid “Dodgy” dial a driver and lastly, we will discuss the myths.
It is 1:00 AM, Friday night (or technically Saturday morning) and the Chiefs didn’t have a lot of luck tonight however most people are out having great times which is always good and we, as usual, are making sure everyone gets home safe and sound. It is great the number of times we hear the words “I love you man” from the passengers and it, honestly, does make our night and we also make sure the journeys are as pleasant as possible for our clients. Even though, we try to accommodate every clients’ request for a drivers we cannot always do it. Tonight, we had a few of those calls and I thought let me write about it so that I could inform our clients how does this dial a driver service actually work.
In this article I will try and explain how we can be of better service to our valued clients and how we can assure 100% guaranteed service.
What is dial a driver service?
A dial a driver service is when you are unable to drive because of, mainly, alcohol consumption and sometimes otherwise, you then dial (a number for) a driver who will then drive your car back to your destination. The service usually requires two drivers and a vehicle to complete a job. The main driver drives the clients’ car and the other driver follows to pick up the main driver once job is completed. We have an 0800 number (0800 433 533) that allows customers to call us for free and book a driver for the time they need it. We assure our customers that we will always be on time – we don’t want people’s night ruined at the last minute.
How much does dial a driver cost?
We charge a fixed price of $50 for Hamilton Area meaning anywhere within Hamilton boundaries and that is also our minimum charge for a job. If you are travelling outside Hamilton, we charge $3.50 per KM + $15 booking fee. You can see our up to date pricing on our pricing page. We make good use of technology therefore if you would like to know exactly how much a trip would cost you, go to our booking system and check the price there.
How to book a dial a driver?
This part is vital when it comes to providing you a great service. It is very important that you notify us as early as possible (days before). The sooner we know the better we can organise the jobs and you will be guaranteed a driver on time.
When we say are open 24 hours, we mean you can book for those hours in advance. It does NOT mean we will have drivers 24 hours on call, unfortunately, the drivers are very expensive to have on call. Tonight, coming back to it, we had few calls where customers were a bit disappointed that google said “open 24 hours” but we didn’t have drivers available. We are available 24 hours on the weekends but that requires advance booking. We have few clients who hire our services on regular basis, and they book us days in advance. It happened to be a very busy night tonight which means most of calls we received didn’t had any drivers for us (except for one) which disappointed some of the callers, unfortunately.
To avoid disappointments please make prior bookings. This will allow us to make sure we provide a great service by being there right on time and not ruin your night with long waits. We are always available for the listed hours (both our website & google) however a booking is required to provide driver during those hours. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee a driver if you have not booked however, we will gladly attend your call and dispatch a driver we had one. So please don’t be shy call us to inquire any time.
Be aware of shady dial a driver
For us, clients’ safety is paramount therefore we have taken responsibility and assured that person driving your vehicle is qualified and background is checked. When it comes to safety there are two things to consider 1) driving skills and 2) Person/company you are travelling with and their background.
When it comes to choosing the right Dial a Driver company make sure it is an established and stable not some anonymous or unnamed company. A company, obviously like ours, that has invested and will be there when the weekend is over unlike those weekend “companies”. A company that you can deal with on a professional level and is able to accommodate your requirements such as multiple drivers, multiple payment options such as accepting credit cards, invoices so that you could claim it back from work. An established company that does NOT request CASH for all jobs. Be aware of “companies” that would just do the job for any price.
A qualified driver means the person has the license to drive your vehicle. Yes, that is correct. All drivers require a “P” endorsement to drive you and your car home, the driver is also required to display their driver identification (ID) card in a way that passengers could see. If your driver doesn’t have a driver ID card and a driving license with P endorsement it means the person is not qualified to drive your car.
Next time you hire a dial a driver service make sure you check
- If your driver is displaying a Driver Identification (ID) Card. If not, make sure you ask about driver ID card. If she doesn’t know what you are talking about then say bye to them right away. If they say they’ve forgotten their ID card (that happens now and then) then check their driver license.
- If the driver license doesn’t have a P endorsement (see picture) then you should find another driver. If they’ve forgotten their driving license then they should not be driving at all.
If your drive is unable to provide one of the above, DO NOT go home with them for your own safety.
Dial a Driver Myths
There are few myths about dial a driver that I would like to mention.
- Have drivers available on call 24/7 – No we don’t as drivers are very expensive to have on call. If you hear a dial a driver saying 5-6 drivers/cars on call, they are most probably exaggerating.
- Be there in 10 minutes – Unless you’ve a prior booking we cannot get there to pick you up in 10 minutes max. Book in advance and we guarantee we will be there on time.
- Dial a Drivers are expensive – you will be surprised to know we are cheaper than taxi. Yes, that is correct.
To avoid disappointments please make a prior booking it will not only guarantees you a driver but also let you enjoy your night/event without any worry. We do try our best to accommodate customer requests when possible, but we can only do so much on 10 minutes notice. At the end of the day, the purpose is that everybody gets home safe and sound.
