Scooter Taxi Services Aim to Prevent Drunk Driving

Flint, MI (Law Firm Newswire) August 18, 2014 – Scooter taxi services designed to prevent drunk driving have popped up across the country.

Scooter taxi services, also known as designated driver services, charge a fee less than double the cost of a taxi ride to pick customers up and drive them home in their own cars. A foldable scooter is stored in the trunk of the client’s car while the chauffeur drives the car to the client’s residence. The chauffeur then leaves on the scooter.

“Services like this are a great way to help prevent drunk driving,” said Shaun R. Marks, a Flint attorney who represents people charged with drunk driving offenses. “The legal consequences of a drunk driving charge can be severe.” Even a first-time drunk driving offense can come with jail time, community service, license suspension and thousands of dollars in fees.

Scooter taxi services originated in Europe in the 1990s, and they have spread to the United States over the past decade. Major cities nationwide now boast nonprofit or for-profit scooter taxi services, including Scooter Patrol in Sunset Beach, California, CityScoot in Louisville, Kentucky, Y Drive LA in Los Angeles, California, and Zingo in Atlanta, Georgia. Such services may soon be coming to Michigan as well.

Some scooter taxi services have formed alliances with local establishments and even large alcohol corporations. CityScoot has teamed up with local businesses to defer the cost of their services, allowing clients to get a ride home for as little as $9.00. In Atlanta, Zingo works with wine and liquor company Foreman-Brown, which provides its Louisville employees free, anonymous rides home through Zingo.