ScooterMAN offers a unique anti-drink driving solution for people who need to go out and socialise. Where it differs from the traditional taxi or private hire service is that ScooterMAN despatch their chauffeurs to customers on a collapsible motorbike which is then bagged up neatly, put in the boot of the car and ScooterMan staff, who are comprehensively insured, will then drive the customer home in his/her own vehicle.

From a customer perspective they only have to pay for a one-way journey and they do not take the risk of having to leave their car overnight in a non-secure parking area. The service also gives the customer a choice of whether they wish to drink or not as opposed to a pre-booked taxi service where the decision is made to leave your vehicle behind.

ScooterMAN was formed seven years ago in London, but it is now expanding into other parts of the UK, including Manchester, Cardiff, Bristol, Bath and Cheltenham. Ethically they provide a greener chauffeuring solution as "dead" runs are excluded. They have also taken a strategic stance against drink driving as they continue to encourage their growing network of over 550 licensees to play their part in ultimately reducing the number of drink driving incidents.

The service ScooterMAN sources from Postcode Anywhere is their geocoding look-up service. This is used to provide two essential functions: to locate customers quickly and also to calculate mileage to enable them to give their customers a consistent quote at the point of enquiry.

• By using the postcode they are able to locate customers quickly*
• They are able to locate customers by using a partial address*
• Often their customers have satellite navigation systems so if a customer does not know their location postcode they are able to give ScooterMAN geographical co-ordinates (latitudes and longitudes)*
• The route calculator enables them provide customers with consistent quotes as well as determine their own operational costs
• Reduces telephone call times for both parties which enables ScooterMAN to respond to more calls and improves customer service*
• Automatic updates means that new housing and infrastructure developments are mapped (not always the case with a annually up-dated CD-Roms which can hinder the process of locating the customer)

*One has to bear in mind that intoxication can often induce a nebulous response from the customer and extracting location information is not always straightforward.

• Web based service means no waiting for CD-Rom downloads i.e. rapid data capture
• Software integrates seamlessly with legacy systems
• Installation takes a fraction of the time compared with CD-Rom solution
• Excellent and responsive help desk and technical support

ScooterMAN's managing director and co-founder Robert Williamson commented: "The biggest problem we had when using CD-Rom street finder technology was that new updates were not compatible with our existing systems which meant that we would have incurred huge costs in making these 'fit for purpose' whereas Postcode Anywhere's solution really does integrate seamlessly.

"The guys at Postcode Anywhere have been extremely helpful and as a small customer we feel we've received big customer service in terms of their time investment. As ScooterMAN is expanding rapidly we're conscious of other commercial benefits that postcode technology can unleash particularly for our marketing operations. We're keen to explore other applications such as lifestyle profiling for example."