Drink and Drive: a sober driver takes you home in your own car

How Drink and Drive works, step by step

Drink and Drive is a designated driver service: you drove to dinner, a party, a wedding or a bar, you've had a drink, and now both you and your car need to get home. A taxi gets you home but leaves your car behind. A Family Driver gets you both home. Here's exactly what happens when you book.

1. Book in the app. Open the Family Driver app, set your pickup to where your car is parked (a hotel car park, a side road in Kollupitiya, a friend's house) and set where you're going.
2. See your driver and their ETA. A nearby verified driver accepts the request. The app shows you who is coming and how close they are, so you can finish your evening instead of waiting at the kerb.
3. The driver comes to you. The driver makes their own way to your pickup point, so there's nothing for you to arrange. They meet you at your car or at a spot you agree, such as the hotel porch.
4. They drive your car home. Hand over the keys and relax in the passenger seat or the back. The driver takes you, and your car, to your door.
5. Pay and you're done. Your fare is calculated in the Family Driver app, and you can pay by cash or card. See our rates page for how fares work.

If you know when the night will end, for example a wedding or an office party, book ahead so a driver is ready when you are. If your group came in two cars, book a driver for each car.

Which cars we drive

Our drivers drive your own vehicle. When you book, choose whether your car is automatic or manual in the app so we send a driver who's comfortable with it. If you have something less common, call us first and we'll tell you whether we can help.

Insurance and your car

Your car is driven by a verified driver, but it's still your car. Before you rely on any designated driver service, check with your insurer that your motor policy covers another person driving your vehicle, and keep your insurance and revenue licence in the car as usual.

Why not just take a taxi?

A taxi or ride-hailing car gets you home, but your car stays in a hotel car park or on the street overnight, and someone has to go back for it in the morning. With a designated driver you wake up with your car in your own driveway. And driving yourself after drinking isn't an option: it puts you and others at risk and is an offence in Sri Lanka. Read our guide to the drink driving law in Sri Lanka.

Where we cover

Family Driver is based in Nugegoda and covers Colombo city and the suburbs. The busiest pickups are in Colombo 3 (Kollupitiya), Colombo 7, Port City, Nugegoda, Dehiwala, Mount Lavinia and Rajagiriya. See all our service areas.

Out at a hotel or bar? We regularly pick up from places like the Galle Face Hotel, Cinnamon Grand and Shangri-La Colombo, and from the bars along Kollupitiya and Marine Drive. See our hotels and nightlife guide.

Prices and safety

See our Drink and Drive rates for how fares work, and our safety page for how drivers are checked and what to do if anything goes wrong. Looking for a driver tonight in the city? Start at our drink and drive Colombo page.

Tips for a smooth pickup

• Set the pickup pin where your car actually is, and add a note (car park level, gate number, colour of the car).
• Keep your keys and phone with you, and answer if the driver calls when they're close.
• Book ahead for weddings and events, when many guests leave at the same time.
• Tell the driver about anything unusual about your car (handbrake, alarm, child seats) before you set off.

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