An Alternative to Airport Taxi and Long Term Parking
Here’s a new one for you. Provide an alternative to long term airport parking and/or taxi rides to and from the airport.
I’m sure there are plenty of places in your town that are a $50+ one way taxi ride to the airport (from people’s houses… etc.) That’s $100+ that is spent on a taxi ride if they are using it to get to the airport and get back to their house from the airport at the end of their trip.
Long term parking can get quite expensive as well. I know here at the Portland airport, it’s $8 a day (it may have gone up to $10 recently). So, if you’re staying some place more than a week, it’s going to cost you more than $50.
This is where you can come in. Offer your driving services, but not as a taxi. You’d offer to meet them at their house right before they leave for the airport. You park your car at their house and ride along with them to the airport. They drive right up to the departing area at the airport, they climb out and you drive their car back to their house for them. Then you climb back into your car and drive home. When they’re scheduled to fly back into the airport, you go back to their house, park your car, drive their car to the airport and meet them at the arrival curb. When you get back to their house, you climb back into your car and drive home. Mission complete. You are now $60 richer, or whatever.
incognito on July 29th, 2005 7:39 am
In Chicago I can already get a limo from my house to Ohare for around 40 bucks. How is this any different other than puttin wear and tear on my car?
I would much rather have the driver put wear on thier car.
-I
Dan Sherman on July 29th, 2005 7:55 am
As I mentioned in my post, it’s not going to apply to everyone. In your particular situation, it’s $80 total roundtrip. What if the person in your area can do the service I mentioned for $40 total, roundtrip? Just like any service that you CAN do without, is $40 savings worth it to you? Many people would say yes, many would say no. But all you have to have is one or two people a day to feel that it’s worth it.
Think outside your own situation. That’s crucial to understanding the viability of any idea.
Best,
Dan Sherman
oliver on July 29th, 2005 1:08 pm
So..tell me what happens when you get into an accident with the customers car.
I can’t imagine that reaction when they come back from a long trip and the flight was delayed and the tomato sauce just spilled on his shirt etc etc.
As a customer myself when using valets I always cringe a little when handing over my keys. Just my 2 cents. Otherwise nice idea :)
Dane Carlson on July 29th, 2005 1:31 pm
Dan, I think its a great idea.
Oliver, you mentioned valets, but there are tons of other businesses that involve driving other people’s cars.
I was once a volunteered with Designated Drivers http://www.designateddrivers.net/. Late at night, two of us would be dispatched to a location to help a person who’d had a few too many home. On of the volunteers would drive the intoxicated person home in their car, while the other volunteer followed in another car.
In all the time I was involved with the non-profit, no volunteer never got as much as a scratch on anyone else’s car — but if they would have, the organization had insurance and a waiver to cover such an eventuality. Honestly, though, what’s worse, a scratch in the paint, or a DUI?
I’m sure that Dan’s business would be similar — with a waiver limiting their liability and enough insurance to cover the occasional accident.
Phillip on July 31st, 2005 2:04 am
Hi Dan,
I am quite happy for you to use my photo, but the creative commons licence I have attached to it requires attribution. I would appreciate it if you corrected this omission,
regards
Dane Carlson on August 3rd, 2005 7:24 am
Philip,
Thanks for the explicit permission to use your photo. I *always* include a attribution when I post cc licensed photos. Look at the image’s alttag (in IE, just mouse over the image, or in firefox select the image properties.) I wish that Firefox showed the alt tag when you mouse over the image like IE does.
I also link the photo directly to your Flickr page.
I hope that this clears everything up, but if there’s anything more I can do, please don’t hestitate to ask.
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