Chennai: As Chennaiites plan to stay up all night to ring in the New Year with champagne and late night parties, drivers too are gearing up for all-nighters as they know they'll have a busy time chauffeuring party hoppers, who have probably had a bit too much to drink and would prefer to ride in the passenger seat.
Top 4 Call Drivers has already received around 400 bookings for new year's eve, much more than their average daily demand of 250 drivers.
"We have 300 drivers on our rolls who take on hourly and daily assignments. We have arranged for an extra 200 drivers to help us meet the rush on December 31," says K Perumal, manager at Top 4.
Drivers are also in demand at party venues that offer valet parking. "This year, we are providing 30 to 40 valet drivers each to Madras Boat Club, Presidency Club and hotels such as Aruna and Radisson," says Perumal.
While some hire drivers, others prefer to leave their cars behind and hire a taxi for their night out. The fleet of 100 cars that Sruthi Call Taxi service owns has already been booked for the night.
R Arumugam, a driver at Sruthi, has been ferrying customers to parties on East Coast Road and Old Mahabalipuram Road for the last four years. "We leave the city around 8pm. It is almost two or three the next morning by the time customers are ready to leave," he says. "Some of them drink very heavily and I have to deal with them patiently and make sure they reach home safely."
With the police commissioner's warning of strict action against drunken driving on new year's eve, hiring a taxi or a driver may prove to be cheaper than facing the fines. Hiring a taxi comes to around Rs 1,000 for 100 km and 10 hours, while employing a driver would be cheaper at an average of Rs 175 for four hours for normal cars and Rs 200 for luxury cars. Overnight charges apply in most cases, costing around Rs 100 for a hired driver and Rs 200 for a taxi.
Top 4 Call Drivers has already received around 400 bookings for new year's eve, much more than their average daily demand of 250 drivers.
"We have 300 drivers on our rolls who take on hourly and daily assignments. We have arranged for an extra 200 drivers to help us meet the rush on December 31," says K Perumal, manager at Top 4.
Drivers are also in demand at party venues that offer valet parking. "This year, we are providing 30 to 40 valet drivers each to Madras Boat Club, Presidency Club and hotels such as Aruna and Radisson," says Perumal.
While some hire drivers, others prefer to leave their cars behind and hire a taxi for their night out. The fleet of 100 cars that Sruthi Call Taxi service owns has already been booked for the night.
R Arumugam, a driver at Sruthi, has been ferrying customers to parties on East Coast Road and Old Mahabalipuram Road for the last four years. "We leave the city around 8pm. It is almost two or three the next morning by the time customers are ready to leave," he says. "Some of them drink very heavily and I have to deal with them patiently and make sure they reach home safely."
With the police commissioner's warning of strict action against drunken driving on new year's eve, hiring a taxi or a driver may prove to be cheaper than facing the fines. Hiring a taxi comes to around Rs 1,000 for 100 km and 10 hours, while employing a driver would be cheaper at an average of Rs 175 for four hours for normal cars and Rs 200 for luxury cars. Overnight charges apply in most cases, costing around Rs 100 for a hired driver and Rs 200 for a taxi.
