FAQs

This is a service in which vehicle owners let Ugozip’s professional drivers operate their vehicle when the owner is unable or unwilling to drive themselves for any reason.

Our Customers are vehicle owners who cannot drive their own car due to alcohol consumption or otherwise do not wish to drive for any other safety reasons. They are responsible drivers who know when not to drive.

Download our free app Ugozip from the Google Play Store (Android) or the App Store (Apple) and follow instructions to sign up. You can also visit www.ugozip.com to create an account with us if you do not have access to a smartphone.

Our Drivers are available both on advance reservations and on demand. Drivers will arrive at the pickup location of your choosing in 20 minutes on average.

Yes! Our Drivers get the privilege of driving for our Customers only after passing thorough and unbiased background checks done by an expert third-party background check company. We hold our Drivers to the highest standards and periodically re-run background checks and make sure their insurance is up to date. Read our Ugozip Driver’s Eligibility Guidelines below:

Ugozip Driver’s Eligibility Guideline of Motor Vehicle Record (MVR)

Drivers are considered ineligible if any of the following apply:

• Less than 5 years of driving experience in the U.S.
• Have not held a valid U.S. driver’s license in the preceding year
• Driver is under the age of 21
•  Driver has at least one (1) Major moving violation in past 7 years
• Driver requires an SR22 filing

Major Violations (Count as 7 Points):

• Driving Under the Influence, (DUI) or Driving While Impaired, (DWI)
• Driving while in possession of alcohol or drugs
• Refusal to submit to a lawful request of blood, urine, or breathalyzer test
• Eluding or Evading Police
• Reckless Driving
• Vehicular Homicide or Assault
• Driving with a suspended or revoked license
• Hit and Run (Failure to Stop or report)
• Use of a vehicle while committing a felony
• Excessive Speeding (speed over 21 mph of posted speed limit)
• Driving without insurance (requires conviction)
• Racing or speed contests
• Failure to stop for school bus

Minor Violations (Count as 1 point):

• Failure to Yield or Failure to Stop
• Illegal turn
• Improper lane change
• Improper use of lane (Carpool lane violation)
• Driving without proof of insurance (Driving without insurance is a Major Violation)
• Following too close (Tailgating)
• Driving too slow/too fast for road conditions
• Speeding 1 mph to 20 mph above posted speed limit
• Careless Driving (not to be confused with Reckless Driving)
• Distracted Driving citations (including texting  or using cell phone while driving)
• Any moving violation not listed as a Major Violation or Administrative Citation,  such as “Fix it” tickets (i.e., window tint or broken tail light), as well as Failure to Appear at court, Failure to pay fines or Child Support, Unpaid parking citations, etc.

Acceptable MVRs are those that fall within the criteria shown below. For the purpose of grading, Minor Violations count as 1 point each. Accidents count as 2 points each, unless the driver can provide a Police Report supporting that the driver was 100% not at fault. A “not at fault” accident is 0 points.

Time Frame                  Drivers Ages 21+

Preceding 12 months    No more than 2 point

Preceding 24 months    No more than 3 points

Preceding 36 months    No more than 4 points

Our Drivers are hired and given access to our service platforms after passing all three levels of our hiring process:

1. Providing necessary personal information and documents
2. Background check report from a third-party institution reveals no major or significant violations
3. One-on-one interview

Yes, any specific Driver can become your personal designated driver through Ugozip. However, please keep in mind that the Driver you want may not be on the road and active on the date and time you request a ride with us. We ask that our Customers add a Secondary Designated Driver on their account in case the primary Driver is not available at the time of reservation.

We are unique because our Drivers operate our Customers’ vehicles, while other services only provide a means of transportation, in which customers enter and exit a stranger’s vehicle to get to their destination. Ugozip dispatches partnered Drivers (pairs of two) to the pickup location so one partner can drive the vehicle owner (who may be intoxicated or otherwise unable or unwilling to drive their car) in the comfort of their own car. In other words, we are a commercial designated driver dispatching service. With us, none of your party has to be the sober “designated driver” of the night.

Ugozip is not a ride-hailing service. Therefore, there are three different ways that you can request a ride with us:

1. App: Download our app, Ugozip, on the Google Play Store or App Store. Create an account to start your ride request.
2. Website: Go to ugozip.com and sign up to reserve a ride.
3. Call us at 1-800-000-0000 and provide your credit card information to request a ride.* (We charge a $20.00 fee for first-time call-in requests. This fee will be refunded as a $20.00 credit to be used on your next ride if you sign up online or on our app within 1 month of the ride request.

No. We do not accept cash from our Customers in order to keep all transactions safe for both Drivers and Customers. All fares (including tip) will be automatically charged to the credit card on your account.

Absolutely. We want every one of our Customers to feel safe with our Ugozip in your driver’s seat. Our female Customers have the option to specifically request a female Driver. Just give us a call at our call center at 1-800-000-0000 or email us at service@ugozip.com.

There are three different ways we allow our Drivers to operate. Your Driver(s) may arrive at your pickup location using any of the three options below:

• Two partnered Drivers ride in one of the Drivers’ vehicle to get to the Customer’s pickup location. The Main Driver will get the Customer’s car key and drive Customer’s vehicle safely to the destination. The Co-Driver will follow the Customer’s vehicle to destination and pick up the Main Driver to head to their next fare.
• One Driver drives himself or herself to Customer’s pickup location. With Driver’s car parked in a safe location, he or she will find the Customer and drive Customer’s vehicle to destination. Then Driver will use a rideshare service to get back to his or her parked vehicle.
• Ugozip operates shuttle vans for our Drivers. Some Drivers use our shuttle van to get to Customer’s pickup location and/or to get back to their car they parked upon arrival at a Customer’s pickup location. Our shuttle vans are available to Drivers 24 hours a day and also serve as our Drivers’ break room on the road.