How It Works

Follow these simple steps to create the best NO DUI experience for everyone!

During the winter, Designated Driver of Colorado Springs (DDCS) does not provide service when the streets become dangerous. Whenever CSPD puts Colorado Springs on “accident alert” or “cold-reporting”, that’s when we cancel service for the evening. We will resume service when Colorado Springs comes off accident alert. Please check the weather and call DDCS or CSPD before you head out to make sure our service is available that evening.

Plan ahead. When you know you are going out to have a few drinks, make plans to get home safely BEFORE you go out. Whether you have your own DD, have someone pick you up, take a taxi or call DDCS, it’s best if you know how you are getting home before you have your first drink.

When you choose to call DDCS, make sure you know how our service works. Get familiar with our hours and days of operation, who our sponsors are, and what we can and cannot do. It would be unfortunate to get where you are going and begin drinking, only to call us at the end of the evening and find out that your ride does not qualify for use of our service.

Our hours of operation are Thursday thru Saturday from 10 pm to 3 am. Our service is only available for customers of our participating locations. For a complete list of our participants, please visit our Food & Drink page. If you have purchased DDCS ride vouchers, you do not need to be at a participating location.

The only way we can provide our service is to drive you home in your vehicle. We are not a taxi service, and we do not want to be one. We do not have a taxi license, and that means our drivers cannot transport people in their vehicles. If you do not have your vehicle with you, we cannot give you a ride. Our goal is to reduce or eliminate the amount of alcohol related traffic incidents. If you don’t have a vehicle, you can’t create any kind of traffic incident.

Our service area: We service Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, Security/Widefield and Fountain. Your destination must be within our service area. Our northern boundary is at the Gleneagle/Northgate AFA exit off I-25, eastern boundary is Woodmen & Hwy. 24, western boundary is Manitou Springs, and the southern boundary is the southern Fountain exit on I-25. At this time we do not service Monument, Black Forest, Peyton, Cascade, Green Mt. Falls, or Woodland Park.

All passengers MUST be 18+ years old. We cannot transport children. Our drivers cannot be put in a situation where they could be responsible for the children should the parents pass out. If you have anyone with you that is under 18, we will not be able to provide service for you.

We do not take you to the bar or any other place to drink, and we do not take you bar-hopping. We only take you home when you are ready to leave.

Make sure you have your current proof of insurance in your vehicle. Colorado State Law says that it is the driver’s responsibility to make sure that the vehicle they are driving is insured. Our drivers are not required to drive a vehicle that cannot show current proof of insurance, and if you cannot show current proof you may not get a ride.

When you dial 719-650-3450 your call will be answered by our system, which informs you “your call will be answered shortly, so please stay on the line”. You will then be placed in a queue and your call will be answered in the order it was received. Do not hang up and call back, or you may lose your place in line. You need to make sure you call before 3:00 am. If you call at 3:01 am there will be no answer.

PLEASE DO NOT CALL FROM INSIDE THE BAR! There is too much noise and loud music inside the bar, and it makes it nearly impossible to hear each other. We need to be able to hear each other, and we need your full attention in order to give you a ride. If we cannot hear each other, you will be asked to call back when you are outside or in a quiet location.

Call 20-30 minutes before you are ready to leave. Early in the evening, your wait time may be as little as 15-20 minutes. As we get closer to 2:00, your wait time can be 30 minutes or more on a very busy night. We guarantee that we will provide service to everyone that calls before 3:00 a.m. no matter how long it takes. If you experience a long wait time, please be patient. Our service is well worth the wait.

Plan to leave a little earlier than everyone else. Most people wait until 2:00 before they call us, and this rush causes congestion on our phone lines and longer wait times for everyone. If you avoid the rush and leave a little earlier, your wait time probably won’t be very long.

Please remember where you parked your vehicle. Since our drivers are not allowed to have people in their vehicles, our drivers need to meet you at your vehicle. Our drivers cannot drive you from the bar to your vehicle. If you need to, write down the street names of the nearest intersection to where your vehicle is parked. If you do not know where your vehicle is, we cannot give you a ride.

Our operators will ask you a few questions. They will ask you:

1. Your name
2. Phone number
3. Where you have been drinking
4. What kind of vehicle do you have and where is it parked
5. Can you show current proof of insurance
6. How many people you have in your party
7. What part of town we are taking you to.

You will then be given an approximate wait time. Make note of the time you called and your approximate wait time. If it appears to us like it will be longer than the estimated wait time, we will call you back and let you know.

When our drivers are on their way, they will call you on your phone. If they cannot reach you after a few attempts, you will miss your ride and the drivers will move on to their next ride. That is why it’s very important for you to answer your phone. If you do not have a phone, use a friends phone or have the bartender call for you. If your battery is dying, or if there is some other reason why you cannot answer a phone, please let the operator know and we will make sure the drivers are aware of your situation.

Please have yourself and all members of your party at your vehicle when our drivers arrive. If you are not ready, you will miss your ride and our drivers will move on to their next ride. You will have to call back when you are ready.

When the drivers get to your car they will ask for your proof of insurance, they will perform a quick inspection of your vehicle, and they will ask for your signature on the inspection. If they cannot fill out their paperwork and get a signature, they cannot give you a ride.

When the ride is to begin, you and your party will ride in your vehicle with one of our drivers, and every passenger must have a seatbelt. If you have more passengers than seat belts, the extra passengers must make other arrangements. Our drivers cannot break the law to provide our service. The other driver will follow behind and pick up your driver when you have arrived at your destination.

Our drivers cannot take you to get food, go shopping, or any other stops along the way. We have other customers waiting for our service, so our drivers need to go straight to your destination and be available for the next ride as soon as possible.

Please be courteous and respectful to our drivers, because they are providing you with a valuable service. If you or anyone in your party is rude, disrespectful, angry, shows inappropriate or violent behavior, the drivers have the right to refuse the ride. If our drivers feel threatened at any time during the ride they will pull over, take your keys and call the police. Please don’t let this happen.

When the ride is over, please consider giving the driver a generous tip. Our drivers are volunteers, and they use their own vehicles. Tips help them pay for fuel & maintenance, and puts a few honest dollars in their pockets. The average tip is $20 and is split between both drivers. If you live a long way from where you drank, we would like to encourage you to consider a little more than the average tip for their time. Remember, they are not delivering a pizza or bringing you a burger, they are driving you AND your car home. A generous tip is far less expensive than a DUI, an accident or worse.