DWI has a second meaning in the Rio Grande Valley thanks to an idea born in a jail cell.

A San Benito man recently launched Driving With Intelligence, a ride-sharing company focused on getting people home safely if they've been drinking.

“We kind of got a shove into overdrive because we just see so many DWIs and so many accidents and I said ‘look, let's just do it,'” Driving with Intelligence CEO Jonathan Sanchez said.

For Sanchez, safe, sober driving is personal.

“When I had my third DWI I was sitting in a jail cell, I came up with this business with a pen and paper,” Sanchez said. “I presented it to the judge the day of court. He just said, ‘you sound very intelligent, so good luck to you, I’m gonna give you a break.’"

The judge sentenced Sanchez to probation in 2023, and Sanchez spent a decade making his business plan into reality.

“I scrounged up some money, got my first vehicle last week,” Sanchez said. 

Driving With Intelligence got their first customer on Monday.

Sanchez’s wife, Jessica Camacho, runs the business while he drives, and she's been right by his side throughout the journey.

“To see him grow from just a single man out on the streets to a family man — "It's an amazing thing to see,” Camacho said.

Sanchez said his wife is the drive behind his business.  

Driving With Intelligence currently serves the San Benito and Harlingen, but Camacho said there are plans to grow the business.

“We wanna be able to hire drivers,” Camacho said. “We wanna expand as well, not just in the Valley but throughout Texas and even more."