Driving WiFi

Monique Buurmans' Monique Driving You driving service is focusing on the business sector. PHOTO/WARREN BUCKLAND

Going corporate has paid off for Monique Buurmans' driving service.

Her business, Monique Driving You, primarily catered for children and elderly people but she spied a gap in the Hawke's Bay market for a business service .

"When I lived and worked in the larger cities, I would always use a corporate cab booked to meet me when I needed it," she said.

"I felt safer and it made doing business more efficient than hiring a rental or waiting around for a taxi to turn up. I started to ask around and saw that there was a need for this type of service here."

A feature of her service is free WiFi in the car.

"We can make accommodation and meeting room bookings, arrange catering or restaurant bookings, organise photocopying or even thank you gifts - we've also been known to have a coffee and newspaper ready to meet people off the plane."

"There's a real advantage in not having to spend time booking and then returning a rental car, plus our drivers know the region well so there's no time wasted getting lost.

She said she was enjoying steady demand which she said is helped by more Auckland flights. An early customer was Auckland-based Crombie Lockwood managing director Steve Lockwood, he was spreading the word amongst colleagues with more bookings ensuing, she said.