ERIN EDGEMON, Business Editor
Posted: Friday, August 8, 2008 4:04 pm

When Richard and Kelly Karl moved to Murfreesboro about two years ago, they were taken aback by the kindness of the city’s residents.

Richard Karl said it was vastly different from what he and his wife were used to living in Detroit, Mich.

Now, the couple wants to do what they can to give back to local residents by offering a safe ride home from Murfreesboro bars. Most of the proceeds will then be donated to locals in need.

Drunk driving is not something the couple has been affected by personally, but it is something close to their heart, Richard, a sober alcoholic, said. They don’t want to see any alcohol-related injuries or deaths on the roadways.

They want to do all they can to prevent local bar-goers from driving drunk by providing a designated driver service that they call Last Call. The couple has put flyers up at many local bars to help get the word out about the service.

For $25, Richard or Kelly Karl will drive an intoxicated person home while the other will drive the person’s car home. Anyone needing to be picked up on Friday or Saturday night should call 738-0053.

Richard, a former cab driver and currently a garbage truck driver, said he will drive a male passenger home while his wife will drive females home.

Unlike using a cab service, the person’s car will be at their home when he or she wakes up in the morning.

Doug Krupla, owner of Duggers, a restaurant/bar, has known the Karls for about two years and recommends the service to customers.

“It is a neat service that they have,” he said. “They are super, super, super nice people.”

Several customers have used the service since Dugger’s opened at 1738 W. Northfield Blvd. in the Kroger shopping center about three months ago.

“I have never had any complaints” about their service, Drupla said.

The Karls put $15 from what they receive from each customer into a checking account. That money will be used to help low-income families pay bills or provide needy families with Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas presents.

The remaining money goes towards their gasoline bill.

Visitors to Last Call’s yet-to-be launched Web site will decide where the money should go, Richard said.

For all of their efforts, the Karls aren’t expecting to make any money from this business venture, and that is OK with them.

“I won’t make a dime off this,” Richard said. “I will just cover my gas.”

The Karls operated a similar business in Michigan for about three years called Drunk in the Trunk, before moving to Murfreesboro for more job opportunities.

Erin Edgemon can be reached at 869-0812 and at eedgemon@murfreesboropost.com.

Last Call, Designated Driver Service
Richard and Kelly Karl
738-0053