Good Neighbor Podcast: Cobb County
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of Cobb County. Good Neighbor Podcast hosted by Milli M. helps residents discover and connect with your local business owners in and around Cobb County, Georgia.
Is your business serving the residents of Cobb County? Then, we need to talk! Visit gnpCobbCounty.com to schedule your free interview.
Good Neighbor Podcast: Cobb County
E1: Redefining Safety: Michael Rhyne's Journey with SafeRide America
What makes Michael Rhyne with SafeRide a good neighbor?
What if your night out could end safely without the hassle of leaving your car behind? Meet Michael Rhyne, the visionary founder of SafeRide America, as he redefines the concept of a designated driver service in Metro Atlanta. On our latest episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast, Michael shares his personal journey from running a limousine company to creating a unique business model that ensures both you and your car make it home safely. Motivated by the tragic loss of a friend to drunk driving, Michael’s passion for safety and community shines through as he discusses how his dedicated team offers an economical and reliable alternative to traditional rideshares.
Join us as we chat with Michael about breaking common misconceptions surrounding designated driver services, like long wait times or concerns about driver professionalism. Discover how SafeRide America’s competitive pricing and commitment to safety provide an invaluable service for individuals who want to enjoy a night out without worry. Michael also reflects on the resilience it took to rebuild his business from the ground up during the pandemic and shares lighthearted insights into his hobbies, including gaming and backgammon. Plus, we're inviting you to nominate your favorite local businesses for future episodes, fostering a sense of community and support.
To learn more about SafeRide go to:
SafeRide
(404) 888-0887
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Millie M.
Speaker 2:Hi there, Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a designated driver service? One might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Michael Rine of Safe Ride America. Michael, how's it going?
Speaker 3:Going great. Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2:Awesome. Well, we're excited to learn all about you and your business. Tell us about your company.
Speaker 3:So Safe Ride has been around in one form or fashion for the last 24 years. We're a NOVIT designated driver service, very unique from R ride share. We actually get into your car with you and drive you and your car home for you, while a second person follows behind. We do it seven nights a week. We cover all of Metro Atlanta. We start at 6 pm and we go until 2, 3, 4 in the morning, depending on the day of the week, and we have an app, just like the Uber and Lyft app. It's called Safe Ride, now all one word that you can download. You can set up an account get an estimate.
Speaker 3:make the request, book a ride right through the app or you can call our main office and we'll be happy to do it for you over the phone.
Speaker 2:So we take calls and talk to people that's a great service, especially for the nightlife of atlanta. How did you get into this business?
Speaker 3:um, I am asked that question and the the short answer is we. In 2000 I owned a limousine business. I was the minority owner of a limousine business here in Atlanta and I had customers that wanted to rent our drivers. That gave me the idea to investigate a driver rental business and National Designated Drivers Association back in November 3 of 2000. And we operated with him for about three years. We created our own nonprofit and called the National Council for the Prevention of Impaired Driving, and then in 2010, we realized that name was way too long and so we changed it to Safe Ride America.
Speaker 3:And from a personal perspective, you know? People say you know, did you have some tragedy in your life happen? And I think it's difficult to find anybody that hasn't been negatively impacted in some way by alcohol, either directly or indirectly, and so there's no shortage of sad stories when it comes to alcohol. But when I was 19 years old, my college high school sweetheart, kelly Morrow, killed herself drinking and driving, and so there is that back there. But for me to say that's why I'm doing it, that's a little bit of a stretch. I'm doing it because it's the right thing and our society needs a tool to be able to get home safely with their car.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. You've been doing it a long time, sounds like. So what are some of the myths or misconceptions about your industry?
Speaker 3:That they have to wait a long time or that we aren't available, that the drivers aren't professional or vetted. We actually know all of our drivers personally. You know Uber and Lyft. You just sign up on an app and send in some paperwork and nobody ever really meets you, and we know all of our drivers personally. I have one driver that's been with me for over 10 years, two or three for drivers that have been with me over two years. My internal staff has all been with me for over 10 years, so we have a really great group of people doing what we do sounds like a tight-knit family.
Speaker 2:Who are your target customers and how do you attract them?
Speaker 3:I mean anybody that you know if you like to go out and you know by yourself. So if you're a single person, drinking and driving can be an issue. You want to go out, you want to socialize and have. You can't really do that if you're by yourself safely, unless you just have a drink. And we will make sure that people are able to get home safely with their car even if they just have a drink or two, and especially the single folks. They want to be able to get home safe with their car. Some people like to go out with their dog and we'll even drive people home with their dog in the car, and it's another thing.
Speaker 3:So those are all great things. We charge $2.15 a minute for the service. So we don't charge a pickup fee. We don't have mileage fees, we don't have a surge pricing. The clock starts when you put your car in reverse to pull out of the parking lot and the clock stops when we pull into your driveway. So the average ride's about 20 minutes, which is going to be around $42.
Speaker 2:Economical as well.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so it's going to be less expensive than ride share round trip in all cases, and you get to ride in the comfort of your own vehicle.
Speaker 2:Perfect. So outside of work, what do you do for fun?
Speaker 3:Wow, love all my dogs. That is a big part of my life. I'm a little bit of a gamer. I like to play games, whether video games, but I'm a huge backgammon player, so I play a lot of backgammon, which is, I don't know, there's not. Mostly people in Europe play, so I do a lot.
Speaker 2:Maybe you could teach me one day.
Speaker 3:And then being a dad and a softball coach and those kinds of things here in Cobb County is also what I do for fun.
Speaker 2:Yes, so let's switch gears. Can you describe a hardship or a life challenge that you overcame and how it made you stronger?
Speaker 3:COVID. Covid literally put let's see 2000. So COVID almost put 20 years of work in the grave because we you, because we rely on bars and restaurants, and when they were shut down, for what a year, year and a half? We were, in essence, out of business for a year, year and a half and I've had to rebuild SafeRide from scratch a second time and our biggest obstacle now is making people aware that we're back in business and that we exist and we're fully operating and we're anxious to serve anybody that could utilize our services.
Speaker 2:Sounds good. How can our listeners learn more about SafeRide? Give that corrective question one more time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so saferideamericaorg is the website. They can call us directly and ask questions and set everything up over the phone. Our office number is 404-888-0887. We do have social media. We're like at SafeRideAmerica or hashtag SafeRideAmerica, you'll find our social media accounts there. We're not super active on social media but we do pay attention to what's going on through social media. And anybody that wants to take advantage of the service for the first time, they can get a coupon code for $30 off or 15 minutes free right off the SafeRide website. So when you download the app there's a coupon code that says use that app and it's SAFE30, s-a-f-e-3-0, get some 30 off their first ride. Uh, to try it out awesome.
Speaker 2:Next time I go out drinking by myself, I'll definitely utilize your service. I really appreciate you being on the show, um. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.
Speaker 3:Well, we look forward to driving people in their cars home for them. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpcobbcountycom. That's gnpcobbcountycom, or call 470-470-4506.