Rides at the right time

Deepa Bharath

If you see a man riding a little white Italian scooter down Newport

Boulevard, it’s not because you’re drunk.

But if you have one of those scooters folded up in the trunk of

your car with its driver driving your car, then it’s very likely you

are drunk.

The foldable scooters are the key components in a new designated

driver service in Newport Beach that caters primarily to families

that are out dining in the city’s restaurants.

Owners Hugh Finlay and fiancee Missy Prenesti came up with the

idea when they visited Ireland.

This is how it works. The designated driver arrives on a scooter

when called, folds up the scooter and puts it in the trunk of the car

and drives the customer home. He drops the customer and his or her

vehicle off and returns on the scooter.

The scooters reach speeds of up to 35 mph, preventing them from

going on freeways. They fit in any car except very small sports cars

such as Porsches or Ferraris, Prenesti said. The service costs $30

within Newport Beach and $45 to Laguna Beach.

“The idea was born from sheer frustration,” Finlay said. “Every

time we’re out dining or partying, we had a problem. We couldn’t get

a cab when we needed one or we’d have to leave our car behind.”

The business, Pacific Safe Home LLC, is based in the Cannery

Restaurant, but Prenesti says they don’t have a contract with the

restaurant.

“We just operate out of here,” she said.

This is a part-time job for the couple, who work at Neiman Marcus

in Fashion Island. Five drivers are on call nights and weekends for

the service that extends from Costa Mesa to Laguna Beach.

“We cater mostly to restaurants, but if someone in a bar wants us

to pick them up, we’ll do it,” Prenesti said.