DENG Wei had planned to party and knew he wouldn’t be in any shape to drive home, so after leaving a popular live house on Taikang Road, he took out his car key and waited for the designated driver he had booked.

His imported Golf 5 was parked in a nearby residential area where the designated driver, a man in his 20s, was already waiting. The man turned on an app that functions as a fare meter on his smartphone — his company installed it and insists it be used.

Deng, a 33-year-old businessman, stores the numbers of several designated drivers in his phone in case it’s peak time after dinner or around midnight.

First the driver dropped off Deng’s friend and then made sure Deng and his car were safely home. Then he made his own way back.

Deng paid around 180 yuan (US$29) for the 30km trip.

“If I had left my car at the club and taken a taxi, the fare would have been around 100 yuan,” Deng says. “The price difference is acceptable in this type of situation.”

On April 28, a Shanghai driving service trade association was formally established, being the first such organization in China. So far the Shanghai Road Transportation Trade Association Driving Service Committee has 65 regular member companies that provide legal driving service. It also sets standards and regulates the business.

The association will establish detailed regulations and fares for all companies, but in the meantime companies set their own fees. The biggest company in the group, Master An, charges 35-95 yuan for service within 8km; price is determined by driving time. After 8km, the price goes up 2.8 yuan per kilometer.

Drivers are all licensed and have a clean 5-year driving record. All are insured in case of accident and injury.

Regulations will include qualifications for companies, drivers, and handling responsibility in case of accidents, according to Zhang Liwei, vice director of the committee.

Driving services have developed quickly in Shanghai since May 2011 when the law criminalized drunk driving (“driving while intoxicated” with blood alcohol content of or above 0.08 percent). A lesser offense is “driving after drinking alcohol,” with BAC between 0.02-0.08 percent.

According to China’s traffic laws, drivers stopped for drunk driving or driving after drinking face fines up to 2,000 yuan. Licences can be suspended for up to 5 years and revoked permanently in cases of serious accidents; in some cases, drivers can be jailed for criminal offenses.

According to Shanghai traffic police, there were 59 traffic accidents last year caused by drunk driving and driving after drinking alcohol; 29 people died.

Deng’s license was suspended for three months last year because he was driving after drinking. Now he always calls a designated driver.

A ride usually costs 50-300 yuan, depending on distance and time.

Master An, one of the city’s biggest driving service providers, employes around 1,000 part-time drivers with an average age of 30. Each can expect three or four tasks a night, with the company taking 20-30 percent.

According to the trade association, more than 60,000 rides are provided each month by more than 160 registered driving service companies in Shanghai, 65 of them members of the association.

Before driving services were established, people relied on sober friends, taxis or “black” (unlicensed) cars, which generally are private cars without meters. So-called “black taxis” can be found late at night around night spots.

“When ‘black drivers’ see anyone needing a taxi, they come over and ask if you need a ride,” says Jiang Wei, a 36-year-old woman who owns a shop on Nanchang Road.

She keeps the numbers of a few drivers whom she calls late at night when her shop is closed and subways are not running. Since she lives in Baoshan District in northern Shanghai, taxi fares are very high.

Before a black taxi ride, passengers negotiate a fee, which is usually lower than taxi fares. Since there’s no meter, disputes over fares can arise when drivers move up the fee and there can be trouble when there’s an accident.

“Safety also can be a big problem,” says Jiang, who only uses black taxis recommended by friends.

“You must be careful when choosing an individual driver,” says 25-year-old Cecilia Fang, a 25-year-old partygoer, who had an unpleasant experience with an unofficial designated driver.

Two years ago, when driving services were not so common, Fang used to ask non-drinking friends to drive her home after a night out. But once she was offered a designated driver hired by a club — actually, a security guard — to drive her and her luxury sports car back home.

Since Fang was very drunk, a friend paid the driver 200 yuan before they started.

“The driver asked for another 500 yuan when we arrived,” Fang recalls. “I was so drunk that I didn’t realize he had already been paid.” She gave the driver all her cash, nearly 2,000 yuan.

After she woke up the next morning, she didn’t go back to the club to complain, since she was a regular and she wanted to “save face” for herself and the club owner.

In such a case involving a temporary driver and no contract, redress is difficult or impossible, according to the new association.

Zhang Liwei from the trade association says that once the Shanghai Consumer’s Right Protection Association received a compliant about a designated river who was unfamiliar with the vehicle and drove 10km without releasing the parking brake, damaging the braking system.

The trade association will work with insurance companies to ensure appropriate coverage and encourage companies to use wireless systems to keep in touch with drivers.

According to basic regulations, member companies should prepare a contract before service begins, specifying the service, rate, responsibility in case of accident and confirmation of car insurance.

When service is required to help a customer who has been drinking, there must be at least one other person in the car who is conscious throughout the ride, thus avoiding problems with directions, claims of missing property and other issues.

All designated drivers must be between 30 and 50 and have a spotless 5-year driving record.

They have to be trained and must wear uniforms, says Feng Yuanming, director of the trade association committee.

“The trade association is definitely a good thing, since standard regulations will help the business,” says Duan Yan, general manager of Master An.

Foreign customers are welcome as long as they can clearly explain their destinations, he says.

The new association does not only target drinkers but also provides other driving services.