Had too much to drink and can’t drive? Dryver is a new social network that allows you to connect to friends in the your vicinity who might be willing to take you home.
Commissioned by Tops at Spar liquor outlets, the Dryver application is available for free for Apple, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone devices. The app uses GPS to locate people and uses their contact lists to connect them with friends also using the app.
When signing up, users are asked for basic information such as their name, city and birthday. After that, they can set their status to either “drinking” or “dryving” and can opt to set their current location, all of which will only be visible to approved friends from their contact list.
Dryver also includes instant messaging functionality and an option called “Rescue Me!” that sends an SOS message to every friend using the app in the case of an emergency. The message includes the user’s location.
Should someone be unable to locate a friend the app, it also includes a list of local taxi and cab companies with contact numbers and the option to call or in some cases SMS them directly from the app.
Mark Robinson, group liquor manager at Tops at Spar, says the retailer wanted to give users a “proactive solution” to the problem of drinking and driving.
“Drinking and driving is a serious issue in our country and we feel strongly about playing our part in finding solutions to the problem. By delivering our message in a practical, fun way, that includes a call to action, we believe we are taking our responsibility seriously,” he says.
The app was developed by Cape Town-based company Brand in Hand and was conceptualised and designed by TBWA Hunt Lascaris in Durban. — (c) 2013 NewsCentral Media
