Kick drink driving to curb

Midweek. Dial A Guy owner Ryan Pullman (left), with his two drivers Dylan Pirimona and Andrew Shearman, is launching his driving service this long weekend.

A Masterton man is this week launching a driving service to help people avoid driving after consuming alcohol.

Ryan Pullman, 30, is launching Dial A Guy, a phone-up driver service, to coincide with the long weekend.

People will be able to call up and have two drivers come out in a marked Dial a Guy car.

The first drives the stranded motorist home in their own car, while the second follows on and collects the first driver at the end of the job.

The dial-up car will even be equipped with Eftpos.

Ryan believes there is a market for the service especially since the lowering of the legal blood alcohol limit last year, 50mg from the previous limit of 80mg, translating to a breath alcohol level of 250mcg, down from the former 400mcg.

"It's scaring a lot of people I'm hearing," he said.

Ryan says he would be happy at this stage to be just "covering two guys wages, and a little bit of petrol".

"It's two more jobs in Masterton, at a time when jobs seem to be falling off a cliff.

"It's not going to be a million dollar business... the whole idea is just to stop people driving."

Ryan will take the calls while his drivers, Dylan Pirimona and Andrew Shearman, who will be on call in the evenings, make the pick-ups. Ryan has been making posters for hotels and licensed premises around Wairarapa.

The name Dial A Guy provides an easy-to-remember 0508 number, and Ryan imagines female customers might decide, "We can't find a guy; let's dial one".

Dial A Guy is available in the evenings by phoning 0508 DIAL-A-GUY (0508 3425-2489).