A night on the town can be an ideal way to relieve the stress of school, but often leaves students making poor decisions when it comes to driving home.
However, a new Auburn business, Driveway Valet, is doing its part to keep students from getting behind the wheel after drinking.
Owner and Auburn alumnus Timothy Patton said the company's goal is to get individuals home safely in their own vehicles.
"You give us a call, and we get a driver to you as fast as we possibly can," Patton said. "Most of the people who have called in so far, we've had a driver to them in less than one minute."
Patton said after a customer calls them at (334) 887-7755, a Driveway Valet driver will drive the customer home after a waiver is signed giving the driver permission to drive the customer's vehicle.
Once the driver gets the customer safely home, the customer pays and another Driveway Valet driver picks up the driver.
Patton said the cost is $15 for the first 3 miles, and $2 for each additional mile.
"If you're coming from downtown as a lot of customers will be, the first 3 miles covers pretty much anywhere in Auburn," Patton said.
In addition to cash and credit cards, students also have the option to open an account online at their Web site, Driveway-Valet.com.
"If you want to open a credit card account, you'll give us the credit card information for the card you want to be charged, and we'll issue you a membership card," Patton said. "Anytime you want to use the service, it'll get charged to that account and you won't have to have any method of payment in person."
Ryan Massey, a senior in business, said he thinks anything that prevents students from drinking and driving is a positive, but the service is a bit expensive.
"If I went with three people, I'd be willing to split it and pay $5 dollars, but I wouldn't do it by myself," Massey said.
Patton said all of the Driveway Valet drivers have clean backgrounds and driving records.
"The drivers are all really sharp, courteous guys," Patton said. "They really represent the company well."
Mohsin Memon, one of the drivers, said working for Driveway Valet is a rewarding experience.
"When I go home, I feel good about myself after doing this because I feel like I've saved somebody's life or somebody thousands of dollars they might have spent on a DUI or a court case," Memon said.
Patton said the service, which runs Monday through Saturday from 10:30 p.m. to 4 a.m., sticks close to the Auburn radius for now but he hopes to expand when more drivers are hired.
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