A new service is launching this week in Lancaster County that offers rides for customers using their own vehicles.

The app, StearClear, which could be a designated-driver service for a customer who has had one too many drinks, or simply a chauffeur service, will be available starting Thursday, St. Patrick's Day.

Rides can be arranged through a smartphone app just as is done with the popular ride-hailing service Uber. Payments also are made through the app.

“We drive you and your car home. Where Uber is more of a taxi service, we’re more of a chauffeur service,” explains Michael Mercado, the StearClear franchisee in Lancaster County.

The charge for StearClear includes a $10 pickup fee plus $3.50 per mile. At that rate, a five-mile ride would cost $27.50, and a 10-mile ride would cost $45.

Mercado will be seeking partnerships with bars and restaurants to promote the service to their patrons; those users would then get the $10 pickup fee waived.

Rides can be requested anywhere in Lancaster County, and while a typical use might be to avoid driving after drinking, Mercado said it could also be useful following certain medical appointments.

StearClear drivers are independent contractors who are subject to background checks. They earn $3 a mile for rides and can also get tips. So far about 25 drivers have signed up, said Mercado, who hopes to add more soon.

StearClear was started in 2012 after founder Dan Glover’s mother was injured in a car accident. It currently is operating in 15 markets, including Las Vegas, Phoenix and Baltimore as well as Berks County, where Glover lives.

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'Meeting a need'

After giving a ride, StearClear drivers are responsible for getting back to the starting point, either by requesting a chaser car through StearClear or by arranging for a pickup through Uber or some other means, Mercado explained.

If a StearClear driver gets picked up by another StearClear driver, they split the original fare, Mercado explained, while adding: “From a customer standpoint, we don’t want you to worry about how our drivers get back.”

Because personal insurance policies follow the vehicle in Pennsylvania, any accident during a StearClear ride would generally be covered by the vehicle owner’s insurance, which could increase that person’s rates.

StearClear has an umbrella insurance policy that would cover anything not covered by the vehicle owner’s insurance, Mercado explained.

In addition to its standard rides, StearClear offers a chauffeur service in which a customer pays $20 an hour for a StearClear driver to ferry him or her around in that person’s own vehicle.

StearClear also offers package services for weddings or other events in addition to corporate plans in which company employees can get discounts or free rides.

Mercado, who has been an Uber driver for the last eight months or so, said he sees StearClear as a complement to that ride-hailing service.

“I think the service is going to fill a need,” Mercado said. “People find themselves in situations where they have their vehicle with them.”