How to choose a sober driver service in Yerevan

Contents

1. The price should be clear before the ride
2. Who is coming and how they were vetted
3. Manual, automatic and unusual cars
4. Who is responsible for the car on the road
5. Discretion
6. How booking works

A sober driver takes the wheel of your car and gets you and the car home when you shouldn’t drive yourself. It sounds simple, but you are trusting a stranger with what matters most: yourself and your car. So choose the service in advance, with a clear head — not at two in the morning outside a restaurant.

Here are the questions worth asking any service before you hand over the keys.

1. The price should be clear before the ride

A good service tells you the price in advance and explains what it is made of. Usually there are three parts: the pickup, the distance and waiting. If you hear “we’ll work it out on the spot”, or get a figure with no explanation, be careful.

Ask:

• what the pickup costs and what each kilometre costs;
• whether waiting is paid and from which minute;
• whether there are surcharges at night, on holidays or out of town.

With us, the order form shows an estimate as soon as you enter the addresses.

2. Who is coming and how they were vetted

The driver will be driving your car, so you want to know who they are. Ask how the service chooses its drivers: do they check documents and experience, do they see how the person drives, do they meet each driver in person?

There is a simple sign too: after you order, it should be clear what is happening — whether they are looking for a driver, whether one is assigned, whether they have arrived. If a service cannot tell you, look elsewhere.

A good ride with a sober driver is one with nothing to remember the next morning: the car at your door and the keys in your hand.

3. Manual, automatic and unusual cars

Not every driver is comfortable with a manual gearbox. If your car is a manual, say so when you book — the service should send someone who drives one. The same goes for large SUVs, right-hand-drive cars or anything unusual: better to warn in advance than to find out in the car park.

In our form, the gearbox is a required question when you go in your own car: the order won’t send without it.

4. Who is responsible for the car on the road

This is the question people ask least, and they should ask it most. Ask directly: who is responsible if something happens to the car on the way? Is there insurance, and what are its terms and limits? “Don’t worry” is not an answer.

The terms should be written down — on the website or in a contract — not just promised on the phone.

5. Discretion

People often book a sober driver after a party, a company event or a meeting not everyone needs to know about. A good service never says who it drove or from where, and uses your phone number for the order only. Check the privacy policy.

6. How booking works

A convenient service doesn’t make you sign up, install an app or spend ages explaining the address. Booking should take a minute: the service, the car, from and to, your name and phone. Anything else is cleared up on the phone if needed.

Choose a service in advance and save its number in your phone — on the night you need it, all that is left is to call.