Aussie app ‘PKUP’ hopes to end drink-driving
New smartphone app promises to get you and your car home safe after a big night out, launching in time for the summer party season.
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An Australian app to rival the likes of Uber and Ola could prevent customers from losing their licence by getting them and their car home safely.
PKUP, an abbreviation of “pick up”, promises to send two people in a car to come and fetch customers out on the town. One driver steers the user’s car home with them in the passenger seat, while the other “shadow driver” follows them to their destination. The two drivers then leave together.
The pitch is that it will get you and your car home safely after a night out.
It also reduces the likelihood of parking fines or drivers getting busted above the blood alcohol limit when retrieving their car the morning after a night on the town.
App co-founder Oscar Gonzalez says the service is relaunching in November in time for the summer party season.
“Our service offers an opportunity for individuals who want an extra drink or two, and find themselves in a situation where they can’t get behind the wheel, to get home,” he says.
“We’re recruiting drivers now, in time for summer.”
The catch is that PKUP is only available in Canberra and surrounding areas, but Gonzalez says “we are planning on expanding next year”.
The app originally launched in a trial phase in 2018, but has been reworked with a new pricing structure ahead of the planned expansion.
Gonzalez says it costs “around double your standard ride share”, with a minimum fare of $20 to $25.
Originally published as Aussie app ‘PKUP’ hopes to end drink-driving