Frequently Asked Questions
Designated Driver is a pickup and drop-off (paratransit) service serving the Pittsburgh area using 8 and 10 passenger stretch Lincoln TowncarsReservations 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.
- How much does your service cost?
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.
- What hours do you operate?
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.
- What does my $5 or $10 per person cover?
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.
- What is an appropriate gratuity?
The gratuity is the amount that the customer feels the driver deserves.
A typical gratuity would be 20% of the cost of the fare.
- What if our group does not have enough passengers to cover the $25 (primary territory $5/person) or $50 (secondary territory $10/person)?
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.
- What happens if we have more than 10 passengers?
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.
- Can we make additional pickups or drop-offs?
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.
- How do I make a reservation?
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.
- What territories do you cover?
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
