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This article was published 9/1/2016 (1714 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg couple believe Operation Red Nose is such a good idea, they've started a business to offer a similar service 365 nights a year.

Sarah Tait, an entrepreneurial-minded woman with a decade in the hospitality industry, and her fiancé, Matthew Kreuger, soft-launched the concept last May under the online handle Assurancedd.com, which stands for Assurance Designated Driving Service.

JASON HALSTEAD / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Sarah Tait and Matthew Kreuger are co-owners of Assurance Designated Drivers. Photographed on Jan. 8, 2016 with their car.

So far, about 8,000 customers have paid for rides with drivers who work on commission for the service. She said about 2,800 of those customers signed up during the Christmas season.

"In December, we were extremely busy, and it was all by word of mouth," Tait said.

Available by phone, email or on social-media platforms Facebook and Twitter, the service shouldn't be confused with Uber, the controversial ride-sharing service that's riled cab companies. Winnipeg has yet to see its first Uber drivers.

"We'd really prefer not to be associated with Uber at all," Tait said Friday.

"The name carries negative connotations with taxi services, and we want to be clear that we aren't direct competitors with taxi services or Uber," Tait said.

Assurancedd.com is more like Operation Red Nose, except there's a fee, and it's available year-round from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. seven days a week, Tait said.

The fee is $24 for the first kilometre and $1.90 per kilometre after that, with commissioned drivers Tait and Kreuger hire. The service carries commercial liability insurance.

Most trips average 10 to 15 kilometres.

"If we only drove a client only one kilometre, I think we would feel absurd charging them $24. Very rarely are we booked for rides under about seven kilometres," Tait said.

It works likes this: a customer contacts the service to order a ride. Assurancedd.com sends a car with two drivers. One driver takes the client's vehicle, and the other driver follows behind to the destination to pick up the first driver once the client is safely to their destination.

Assurancedd.com takes payment by cash or credit card: each driver packs a card reader to plug into their smartphone to complete the transaction.

"A large portion of our clients work in the business sector, so the credit card and receipt features are great when they're taking clients out for dinner, drinks, a Jets game, or even golf, as they'll submit our receipts to their employer as a work expense," Tait said.

Winnipeg cab companies didn't seem to know about the service when asked Friday.

"I didn't get anything from my own drivers about it, and I'm just checking into it now," responded Gaurav Dhir, general manager of Unicity, the city's largest cab company.

Cab companies must be licensed by the province to assure driver and passenger safety, but Assurancedd.com isn't registered with the Manitoba Taxicab Board.

Tait said a provincial licence is only necessary for cab companies.

The Manitoba Taxicab Board wasn't available to respond Friday.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca