Frequently Asked Questions

Designated Driver is a pickup and drop-off (paratransit) service serving the Pittsburgh area using 8 and 10 passenger stretch Lincoln Towncars

Reservations must be made at least 2 hours in advance

Reservations can be made up to three months in advance

These are some of our most commonly asked questions. If you have others that aren't answered here or if you want to make a reservation then feel free to call us at 412-563-2559.

The cost is $5 per person in our primary territories and $10 per person in our secondary territories. See the territories question below for details on what areas we cover. There is also a minimum charge for each separate trip of $25 for the primary and $50 for the secondary territories. See the minimum charge question below if your group does not have enough passengers to cover the minimum. This price does not include a gratuity for our driver.
Our hours of operation are:
  • Thursday from approximately 6pm to approximately 2:30am.
  • Friday and Saturday from approximately 5pm to approximately 3:00am.
  • You may call to make a reservation any time, 24/7. If we do not answer your call simply leave your information on our answering machine and will will get back to you.
  • A voice message left on our machine is not considered a reservation. Reservations must be made with a dispatcher.
The fee covers one pickup and drop-off only (one-way). When you make a reservation we'll ask you where you want to be picked up and where you want to be dropped off (subject to our covered territories). If you want to make a return trip then it will cost another $5 or $10 per person and is subject to the minimum charge. You may schedule as many pickups and drop-offs as you would like throughout the evening. Each reservation scheduled is considered a one-way trip only.
The gratuity is the amount that the customer feels the driver deserves. A typical gratuity would be 20% of the cost of the fare.
There is no minimum number of people that you need to have, there is only a minimum price. For example, if you have 1-4 passengers in our primary territory, the price is $25 + gratuity + $2 gas fee. For every extra person beyond four, add $5 per person. In our secondary territory if you have 1-5 passengers the price is $50 + gratuity + $2 gas fee. For every extra person beyond five, add $10 per person.
If you have more than 10 passengers, we will send you multiple vehicles if we have the availability. There is no extra charge for the second vehicle. However, there will be a charge of $40 if we send a second car to your group and there are 10 or fewer passengers. This is done to discourage groups from ordering extra vehicles that are not necessary.
Yes, we will make one extra stop for a charge of $10. The extra stop must be pre-scheduled with a dispatcher and in the same community as the primary stop (as determined by The Designated Driver.) If the second stop is not in the same community, it will be considered a separate trip and will be charged as such. All separate trips are subject to the per trip minimum charge. Our drivers are not able to set up additional pickups or set reservations. You must contact a dispatcher to do so.
You make a reservation by calling 412-563-2559. You must make your reservation at least two hours in advance. We will need to know where and when you want to be picked up, where you want to go, and how many people are in your group. We will let you know whether we service your area and if we have vehicles available at that time. We recommend calling well before the time when you want to be picked up so that we can arrange to have a vehicle available for you. Feel free to also call at off hours (24/7) and leave a message on our answering machine if you want to make a reservation. We will get back to you. A voice message left on our machine is not considered a reservation. Reservations must be made with a dispatcher.

Designated Driver currently serves the following locations:

Thur/Fri/Sat: $5/person - Primary Territory ($25 min for reservations):

  • Beechview
  • Bellevue *
  • Bloomfield
  • Brookline
  • Carrick
  • Dormont
  • Duquesne University
  • Friendship
  • Greenfield
  • Greentree
  • Highland Park *
  • Lawrenceville
  • Mount Washington
  • NorthSide
  • Oakland
  • Overbrook
  • Point Breeze *
  • Regent Square *
  • Shadyside
  • SouthSide
  • Squirrel Hill
  • Stanton Heights *
  • Station Square
  • Strip District
  • Upper Lawrenceville *
  • West End

Thur/Fri/Sat: $10/person - Secondary Territory ($50 min):

  • Alison Park *
  • Aspenwall
  • Avalon
  • Baldwin
  • Ben Avon
  • Bethel Park *
  • Brentwood
  • Bridgeville
  • Carnegie
  • Castle Shannon
  • Churchill
  • Coraopolis *
  • Crafton/Ingram
  • Edgewood
  • Emsworth
  • Forest Hills *
  • Fox Chapel *
  • Franklin Park *
  • Glenshaw
  • Heidelberg
  • Jefferson Hills *
  • Kennedy Township
  • McCandless *
  • Millvale
  • Monroeville *
  • Moon Township *
  • Morningside
  • Mount Lebanon
  • Munhall
  • Neville Township *
  • Oakdale *
  • O'Hara Township *
  • Ohio Township *
  • Penn Hills *
  • Pennsbury Village
  • Pleasant Hills *
  • Point Breeze
  • Reserve Township
  • Robinson Township
  • Ross Township
  • Rosslyn Farms
  • Scott Township
  • South Fayette *
  • South Park *
  • Swissvale
  • Upper St. Clair *
  • Verona *
  • Waterfront
  • West Mifflin *
  • West View
  • Wexford *
  • Whitehall

  • Please call to see if our service is available for your destination.
  • $40 minimum for Bellevue, Highland Park, Point Breeze, Regent Square, Stanton Heights and Upper Lawrenceville.
  • $80 minimum for Alison Park, Bethel Park, Coraopolis, Forest Hills, Fox Chapel, Franklin Park, Jefferson Hills, McCandless, Monroeville, Moon Township, Neville Township, Oakdale, O'Hara Township, Ohio Township, Penn Hills, Pleasant Hills, South Fayette, South Park, Upper St. Clair, Verona, West Mifflin and Wexford.