30 December,2010 06:28 AM IST | | Urvashi Seth
Chauffeur providing company has taken the decision to ensure safety ofu00a0female partygoers
Women going to parties will not need to hesitate before calling for a chauffeur this New Year's Eve.
Party Hard Drivers, a chauffeur provider, has decided to send elderly chauffeurs to pick up and drop all their female clients on December 31.
Saurabh Shah, partner, Party Hard Drivers, said, "We took the decision because elderly chauffeurs tend to be more responsible than their younger counterparts.
All our drivers are experienced and capable of taking care of a client if he or she is inebriated."
"Awareness among New Year revellers is more this year and almost 30 per cent of our drivers have already been booked," he added.
Shah feels that the police crackdown on drink driving last New Year's Eve is a major reason for people being more careful.
Shah said that the police department has, in a meeting held on Monday, asked chauffeur providers like them to hire more drivers for New Year's Eve and also asked taxi unions to ensure more taxis are on the road.
Shah, however, said it wouldn't be possible for Party Hard Drivers to do so.
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"We train our drivers and hire them through reliable mediators. It will be difficult for us to hire them on such short notice." The company will have nearly 200 drivers on duty that day.
Nandkumar Chougle, DCP traffic, said, "In the meeting, we asked companies and taxi unions to ensure that they deploy the maximum possible number of drivers and cars on December 31 as we want people to be safe.
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We have even started a Safe Celebration campaign to educate people to drive safely."
Nearly 1,100 police officers will be stationed across the city on New Year's Eve. Traffic cops have identified approximately 55 points for setting up nakabandis in the night.
"We will also have nakabandis at all junctions where people drive rashly," said Chougle.
Voices
It is good that the company is thinking about the safety of female customers. We don't mind paying extra when it comes to security.u00a0
Arpit Shah, manager, Corporate Relations
The move will definitely help female partygoers feel more secure. I hope the hotels, too, act responsibly and give extra valets and cars to the customers as part of the New Year party package.u00a0
Reshma Maisheri, Mulund
What They Do
Chauffeurs' duties include picking up clients from their homes or places of work, dropping them off to the party spot and bringing them back. They charge between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500 for a night.
720
The number of people booked for drink driving on December 31, 2009. The number was a big jump from 544 in 2008 and 338 in 2007
