Grand Rapids DJs have best hangover remedy: waking up at home after taking a Safe Ride

Grand Rapids DJs Chia and DJames have had years of kickin' out the jams at local haunts and they've had it up to here with watching intoxicated patrons stagger out, car keys in hand.

That's why Michael "Chia" Kowalczyk and James "DJames" Littell launched GR Safe Ride this week, a service that provides safe passage home for tipsy peeps… in their own cars.

"We feel passionately about this service," Kowalczyk says. "We see too many people leave the bar and drive home. And we've taken too many friends back to their cars after taking a taxi home the night before only to find they've gotten a ticket. The cost is really high."

Not to mention the extreme costs and complications of receiving a DUI, as well as the dangers a drunk driver poses to themselves and others.

GR Safe Ride sends two drivers on every call; Driver 1 takes the client home in the client's own car -- an arrangement that keeps any unexpected "cookie tossing" within the client's own four walls, so to speak. Driver 2 follows the car and picks up Driver 1 after the client arrives safely at his/her destination.

Riders can make arrangements in advance, but Kowalczyk says he expects most of the business will come from people who didn't expect to have one too many at an office party or at dinner.

Kowalczyk, 34, and Littell, 36, have placed $5-off coupons at various bars and eateries in downtown Grand Rapids. They're getting the word out about the service on their Facebook page and other social media, and they plan to have bumper stickers and T-shirts available soon.

Bartenders, bouncers or folks needing a Safe Ride home from anywhere in downtown Grand Rapids can call 616-401-0359. GR Safe Ride will pick up the rider and drive them anywhere within 10 miles of the pickup point for $45 (cash only, for now). Any ride beyond 10 miles is an additional $5 for every three miles. First time riders get $5 off the ride.

GR Safe Ride currently employs four drivers. Kowalczyk hopes to expand the service area and the number of drivers throughout West Michigan.

Source: Michael Kowalczyk, GR Safe Ride
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor