AN unusual taxi service for people who have over-indulged on a night out has proved a roaring success in Swindon this Christmas.

Launched in August by 31-year-old Old Town entrepreneurs, Matt Jackson and Najeeb Sughayer, ScootUhome offers to pick up the passenger, stow a small 50cc scooter in the back of their vehicle, and run the customer home before scooting back off to base.

"We have been delighted with how well things have gone," said Matt.

"We have been busy from the outset. Obviously with only two scooters, there is a limit to how much work we take on before having to expand, which we plan to do in the New Year.

"In the meantime bookings have been steady, particularly at weekends. We are already almost fully booked for New Year's Eve and I think it demonstrates everybody has locked on to the anti drink-drive message."

The business currently operates only during the evening, but it will soon start running during the day.

The farthest call out has been to take a customer back to Marlborough, but most jobs are within the Swindon area.

Najeeb said that there had been surprisingly few awkward customers

"We have had a couple of people who have wanted us to drop friends off last, forgetting that it is their own car they are in," he said,"but so far nobody has been sick on a trip, only to wake up the next morning to find it was their own car."

The service works by calling up ScootUhome, preferably in advance, to ensure being collected at a set time.

Charges are calculated on a mileage basis with the trip-meter of the customer's vehicle being used for accuracy.

There is a minimum fare of £9 for any journey up to three miles. For longer distance the rates are £2.50 a mile up to eight miles and £2 a mile thereafter

The first five minutes of waiting time after the driver has contacted the client are free.

Thereafter, waiting time charges at £20 an hour or £1.66 per five minutes after the initial waiting period.

For more information about the service ring Swindon 617722, or e-mail inquiries@jenoo.com or log on to www.scootuhome.com

Mackenzies Cafe Bar in Wood Street, Old Town, is the first sponsor of ScootUHome.