Party patrolling

Do not drink and drive. So how many times have we heard this sermon? And how many actually listen? Driving under the influence is probably the most dangerous acts of bravado by one who is one drink too many above the permissible limit and realising the need for a sober set of hands at the wheels, entrepreneurs Shiven Madan and Nikhil Saigal from Delhi have come up with a solution. They provide round-the-clock reliable chauffeurs, anywhere, ensuring safety and convenience. All one has to do is call and they'll send across their representative to get one back home from a party or wherever.

They call it Home Safe. So how did Home Safe's journey begin? Not surprisingly, it was years of experience driving home inebriated friends after a night out that gave birth to the idea.

Working on the same lines are Ankur Vaid, Mishal Raheja and Saurab Raheja in Mumbai and Pune, through their company Party Hard Drivers (PHD). They started the service after one of their close friends survived a near fatal accident while driving drunk. "Initially we thought that the owners of high end cars would have their private chauffeurs and our business would be limited to only small and mid-size cars. However, calls by the owners of big cars started pouring in as soon as the service was launched. We are less expensive than the fleet cabs and one can ride back home in the comfort and privacy of their own vehicle," says Vaid.

With 23,829 people being prosecuted for drunken driving last year against 18,073 in 2011, it is apparent that a lot of people, from myriad backgrounds, indulge in some or the other form of reckless driving. "These statistics are alarming. There are so many other minor accidents that go unreported. Drivers, passengers and pedestrians are equally affected by a single accident, sometimes with irreplaceable damage. All these things made our belief in our business model stronger and today we have grown from 15 chauffeurs in September 2009 to a team of over 120 chauffeurs," says Madan.

The success of PHD, on the other hand, can be judged from the fact that in the last five years since their inception, they have grown to 200 drivers and have serviced more than one lakh people; all of which has been achieved through word of mouth. "Before hiring, our drivers are first put through a test drive in three different cars—small, mid-sized and big—as different cars require different levels of competence. Most of them can handle a small 800 cc hatchback to luxury sedans like BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Audi and others, with ease," says Mishal Raheja. Such is PHD's reputation that when actor Tom Cruise visited Mumbai in December 2011, PHD was roped in to drive him around in a BMW.

While PHD has recently launched its services in Pune, Home Safe is going to launch in Hyderabad soon. "Expansion is a natural progression. Even though we love ensuring people reach their homes safely, sometimes it's really funny when a client sees our payment receipt on their side table the next morning and calls asking how they got back home," says Madan.

Home Safe IN DELHI

Number: 011-41051010, 41052020

Tariff: (Night) Rs 650 for 2 hours, Rs 800 for 5 hours. Additional hours are charged at Rs 150 per hour. (Day) Rs 500 for 5 hours, Rs 750 for 10 hours, Rs 100 for every additional hour.

Outstation: Rs 1,200 for upto 12 hours plus meals and accommodation.

Party Hard IN MUMBAI

Number: (Mumbai) 022-43331333, (Pune) 020-41212333, 41211333

Tariff: (From 7 pm) Rs 650 for 6 hours, (post 10 pm, cut off at 4 am) a flat rate of Rs 650, (6 am to 4 pm) Rs 650 for 8 hour shift. Outstation overnight trip: Rs 1200* + two meals + accommodation (*Rates may vary according to destination and service type).