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Timely Tip: Designated Driver Services in St. Louis

Date Posted: Mon, Dec 28 2015, St. Louis Magazine
New Year’s Eve night in St. Louis: you head downtown to the Four Seasons, out to dinner in South County, or to a house party in Wildwood. You drive yourself and a couple friends, or your husband, your girlfriend. You don’t plan on drinking too much, as you’re responsible for others. As the night goes on you begin to relax and enjoy yourself a little more than expected. You toast and ring in the new year, then realize you absolutely should not drive home.

Cabs in St. Louis are hard to come by, either when calling to come get you or trying to find one to hail on the street, and Über can get pricey on high-traffic holidays, as it notes in their Fine Print: “At times of intense demand, our rates change over time to keep vehicles available.” And then there’s the issue of your car: possibly paying overnight parking in a garage or making the hung-over, drive-of-shame with a friend to retrieve it the next day.

To solve this frustratingly common conundrum, three St. Louis businesses provide services that bring both you and your car safely home. Dshofer, STLDD and BeMyDD all take reservations for drivers who show up at your location and escort both you and your car to its destination, with the option for drop-offs of your friends along the way for an extra charge. You’re followed by a “chaser” car driven by the driver’s teammate, which then takes your driver back to do another run.

We gathered some facts about each of the companies—just in case you think you might want to have that second glass (bottle, magnum...) of champagne…

DShofer (formerly Scooter Guy)

“Designated to drive YOUR car.”

Offerings:

One-way starting at $35 for 1–5 miles if you’re a member
Rent-a-driver starting at $26 for one hour (+$13 for every half-hour) if you’re a member
Accessibility: Online (only if you’re a member), phone (not encouraged), and mobile app

Range: Restricted to Missouri only: Florissant to Wentzville, south to House Springs and west to Pacific

Unique Feature: All drivers are certified by the Professional Association of Designated Drivers

Downside: There is no option to get a quick quote on your trip, and they don’t appear to accommodate last-minute reservations for those stuck in that-third-vodka-tonic-really-snuck-up-on-me kind of situation.

St. Louis Designated Driver (STLDD):

Offerings:

Take-Me-Home is a $10 pick-up fee and $.37 per 1/10 mile
My-Private-DD works like a private chauffeur service for $37/hour
Range: As far west as Lake St. Louis, south to Barnhart, north past Florissant and east to Granite City.

Accessibility: Reserve by phone or text

Unique Feature: They accept last-minute reservations up to an hour before your pick-up time.

Downside: Must become a member by filling out the “17 required boxes” (including your car insurance information) before you can make a reservation

BeMyDD

“We drive your car so you don’t have to.”

Offerings:

Personal driver at an hourly rate of $14–19.50
Pickup service for a flat $25 fee for pick-up plus $3.45 per additional mile.
Peace of mind plan for $45–53 per team, per hour
Accessibility: Phone, easily navigable website, mobile app

Unique feature: The Peace of Mind Plan, which focuses on event/wedding transportation services, provides a team of drivers to wait on-site after your event to drive the attendees and their cars home. You can also request a “logistics coordinator” to “ensure every guest who needs a ride gets one.”

Last week, BeMyDD announced the launch of their first annual PuppyLovin’ New Year’s Eve Campaign, created to rescue animals in kill shelters. For every hour of designated driver service provided on New Year’s Eve, BeMyDD will dedicate $1 to help move dogs to no-kill shelters.

Range: 280 zip codes in both Illinois and Missouri

Downside: Appears to be the most expensive of the options.