Many members of the capital`s growing army of car owners plan to turn their backs on the traditional train this year when returning to their hometowns for Spring Festival, choosing to go by road instead of rail.

But a significant number of those planning to take a road trip - mainly new drivers - are not going to do it alone, they plan to hire a stand-in to do the wheel work for them.

One such driver is 29-year-old Wang Jun, a white-collar worker with a company in the Central Business District who is planning to take the highway back to see his family in Jinan, Shandong province.

While a train ticket home could cost him as little as 200 yuan, Wang is planning to spend 500 yuan on hiring a driver.

"I can use my car back home when visiting relatives," he said. "The driver will just go back to his home after he has driven me home."

To meet demand this year, many companies have stepped up to offer the service.

He Jin, general manager of China`s biggest designated-driving service, Beijing Ben`aoanda Automobile Driving Service Co Ltd, said his company has been taking up to 150 orders a day during the past two months. The firm is twice as busy as it was last year.

"Most of those calling want the long-journey service," He said.

Clients favor the designated-driving service because it does not cost much more than the cost of taking public transportation, he said.

The car owners also pay all other costs, such as toll fees and the cost of gasoline.

He`s 150 drivers are aged between 30 and 50 and must have a clean driving history going back at least eight years.

In case of accidents, driving services usually pay for any losses not covered by the auto insurance if the designated drivers are responsible for the damage.

"Many new drivers usually drive back and forth between their homes and their companies in the city," He said. "But they are not well-equipped to drive a long journey of five or six hours or even a day and so they seek out our service."

He said car owners have to pay 150 yuan for each 100 kilometers for journeys of less than 300 kilometers. Long hauls of more than 800 km are billed out at 80 yuan per 100 km.

The price varies with the weather and road conditions as well as the types of vehicles involved.

"Most of our clients own medium- and high-end vehicles such as Audis, Buicks and Nissans," He said.

While the service is being offered by many companies, several individuals are also prepared to drive people home for a fee in online ads.

"Regulation is needed to standardize the designated driving service," He said.

During the rest of the year, the designated driving companies mainly cater to middle-aged businessmen who find they have drunk too much at luncheons and dinners.

China Daily