Week 10 (#2): StearClear...the App for Drunks

Many people age 21 and over can relate to the stress and hassle associated with being too drunk to drive home after a night out at a bar, and having to figure out a way to pick up their car the next morning. Well, thanks to a new service called StearClear, the agony of retrieving your car could be eliminated. StearClear has been up and running for only a month in parts of New Jersey and is a way to get you and your car home safely. Although several communities have some sort of designated-driver program, this is the first franchise of its kind. StearClear works off three mobile applications: an iOS/Android app for end users (the drunk people), one for the drive teams, and a third for franchise owners which lets them view a map of their drivers' cars in action along with customer requests. The drive teams consist of two people: one who drives the customer's car and the other who follows in their own car, carrying the customer.

Drivers are assigned shifts but can make themselves available at any other time as well. When customer requests come in, drivers "bid" for the pickup via their own app by saying when they can get there; obviously customers typically choose the driver closest to their location. The cost per customer is $20/per pickup plus $2.50/mile with a special rate for premium members. This pricing is around the same as local cab rides, depending on your area, but is much cheaper than a black car service.

Franchise owners pay $30,000 to buy a block of 70,000 people (around 6 to 12 zip codes) and keep 80% of the revenue. StearClear is currently undergoing its first public test, which will last for about 3 months.

Source:
http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/06/too-drunk-to-drive-but-still-wanna-get-your-car-home-theres-an-app-for-that/