Someone arrives at your driveway and says they are your driver. Before passing over the keys, take a moment to connect the person in front of you with the journey you actually arranged. Knowing the address or recognising your car is useful context, but it does not settle who is authorised to drive it.
Drivers on Demand (DOD) is preparing a marketplace connecting customers and businesses with verified independent drivers who drive customer-provided eligible vehicles. Auckland personal and business services are coming soon, subject to product alignment and readiness. Bookings are not open. This guide prepares a future handover; it does not describe a finalised DOD identity-check screen, pickup code or driver-replacement process.
Start with your own confirmed journey information
When service becomes available, use the final confirmation and driver information supplied through DOD’s published process. Review it yourself before meeting the driver, rather than relying only on what the arriving person tells you.
Know the intended date, pickup point and vehicle registration. If someone else arranged the journey, ask them to explain the confirmed arrangement and how you can check it. A forwarded message may need clarification if details have changed since it was sent.
DOD’s customer information includes meeting and verifying the driver before handing over keys. The practical aim is to match the actual person, the actual car and the actual journey before releasing control of the vehicle.
Compare the person with the supplied driver details
Use whatever identifying information DOD actually provides when bookings open. Compare the person with any supplied photograph and name, and clarify discrepancies before proceeding. Do not assume that a familiar logo, clothing or knowledge of the destination proves an assignment.
Keep this distinct from licensing. NZTA’s passenger-endorsement factsheet says a small passenger service vehicle driver needs a current P endorsement, current driver identification card and current licence for the vehicle type. These are relevant credentials, but credentials alone do not establish that someone is assigned to your particular journey.
Our P endorsement, SPSL and ID guide explains those separate licensing concepts. This article focuses on the customer’s handover decision, rather than repeating the licensing checklist.
Pause when a different person arrives
If the person differs from the confirmed driver information, keep the keys while you clarify the change through DOD’s published contact or booking channel. Do not rely solely on an explanation that a friend or colleague is covering the journey.
Likewise, if a different car is now being provided, recheck the arrangement rather than assuming the driver assignment applies automatically. The changing-car guide covers questions about a replacement vehicle.
For example, an office receptionist expects to release a business car to the named driver. Another person arrives and says the driver sent them. The receptionist pauses and asks the booking organiser to confirm the position through the official process. This is an illustrative scenario, not a report of a DOD incident or a promise about support response times.
Give a delegated key holder a clear role
For a household or business, decide who may release the car and who can clarify an unexpected change. That person needs the relevant confirmed details and a way to contact the organiser. They should not have to guess whether an unfamiliar substitute is acceptable.
Share only the information needed for the task. There is no need to circulate copies of identity documents in a family or office group chat just to coordinate a handover. Follow the final verification process rather than inventing an extra document-collection step. The business vehicle handover guide helps identify the people responsible at each end.
| Before releasing keys | Check |
|---|---|
| Journey | Am I using the latest confirmed details? |
| Person | Does this person match the driver information supplied? |
| Vehicle | Is this the car covered by the arrangement? |
| Unexpected change | Has it been clarified through the published process? |
| Key holder | Does the person releasing the car know who can authorise it? |
Continue only when the arrangement is clear
Once the identity and assignment questions are resolved, allow time for the vehicle handover and essential controls. Do not let a late start rush an unresolved check. If the arrangement cannot be clarified, do not release the car on an assumption.
During prelaunch, contact DOD for general questions. An enquiry does not reserve a driver or confirm a journey. If you need to travel before bookings open, arrange a suitable option already available.
About this guide
Prepared by the Drivers on Demand editorial team for Driver on Demand NZ Limited. DOD customer and Journal content and NZTA passenger-endorsement information were checked on 25 October 2026. This is general preparation guidance, not a guarantee against impersonation, a completed licence assessment or confirmation of DOD’s final pickup-verification workflow.