NightRiders, Incorporated was the first U.S. designated-driver-for-hire service to use collapsible

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s, also known as

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History

Gary Calnan, Brad Dickerhofe, and Carl Grodnik founded NightRiders in July 2001 in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...

. In 2004 the company opened a new operation in the state capital of

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

. Before closing its operational doors in 2005, NightRiders earned strong community acceptance as well as garnering a great deal of national media coverage including from

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's ''The Today Show'',

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and United In-Flight programming. Multiple competitor-companies started in the Denver Metro region following NightRiders, often mimicking the company's unique operating and marketing styles. NightRiders is no longer in business, according to their corporate website.

Business model

NightRiders, Incorporated was a traditional "C" corporation funded with private investment. Essentially, it utilized a model that allowed customers to pay for a

designated driver The terms "designated driver" and "designated driving" (commonly known as DD) refer to the selection of a person who remains sober as the responsible driver of a vehicle whilst others have been allowed to drink alcoholic beverages. Thus, as a pr ...

. The business employed drivers equipped with collapsible, motorized scooters. The drivers drove customers home in their ''own'' vehicles, stowing the scooters in the customer's trunk. Upon arrival to the customer's destination, the driver collected the fare, assembled the scooter, and rode off to the next customer.

Awards & media coverage

*''TIME'' magazine - January 17, 2005 - "And One More For The Road" *Inc. Magazine - March 2005 - "Five Ideas to Watch" *2005 - Innovation Quotient Award from the Boulder County Business Report Boulder County Business Report Innovation Quotient Awards
/ref> *2004 - Platinum Key of Life Award from Doctors for Designated Driving *2003 - Corporate Leadership Award from the National Commission Against Drunk Driving

Major events

In August 2005, NightRiders endeavored to expand their concept of driving people home in their own cars. They planned and executed the NightRiders "Ride to END Drunk Driving" Campaign, riding ten (10) collapsible scooters across the United States, from Boulder, Colorado to New York City, demonstrating the company's service to communities along the way. The ride was filmed and edited by 42 Productions and is currently in the process of being marketed to various television networks, targeting

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, specifically aiming toward the

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, and the

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References

External links

Official websiteNightRiders "Ride to END Drunk Driving" Movie Trailer - Google Video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nightriders, Incorporated Defunct companies based in Colorado