In Dallas-Fort Worth, we’ve become almost numb to traffic. It’s such a part of our every day—traffic to school when dropping the kids off, traffic to work, traffic leaving work and picking the kids back up, maybe traffic taking the kids to their after-school activities. It never ends. Fortunately, there’s a new transportation solution that launched this week—HopSkipDrive.
HopSkipDrive is specifically for families who are completely done with traffic. Essentially, they’ve created a new way to get kids where they need to go when their schedules don’t fit the normal bus route.
But why on earth should you trust a stranger driving your child around? According to the company’s CEO, Joanna McFarland, HopSkipDrive has developed a meticulous approach to safety. Each driver (CareDrivers) must have five years of experience and pass a 15-point certification process.
This process is intense—it includes fingerprinting, background checks via the FBI, driving record checks and in-person meetings. On top of that, CareDrivers use a multi-factor authentication system to make sure they’re picking up the correct kiddo. “We’ve designed safety into every aspect of the service,” McFarland says. “[Also], parents can customize rides with detailed instructions, such as what pickup lines look like or the name of the coach a child needs to be checked in with on the field.”
So how does it work? To get started, all you have to do is download the app. In the app, parents can book and track rides from start to finish. You’ll also be able to get live text notifications. Another neat feature—HopSkipDrive’s Safe Ride Support (SRS) team is the only US-based team in the industry that monitors every ride in real time. SRS is not only staffed with former 911 operators, but also EMTs, childcare specialists and parents too. Taking all of that into consideration, we think parents should be able to breathe at least a small sigh of relief with such security measures at play.
And in terms of payment—its setup is similar to Uber and Lyft. It’s not a subscription service, so you pay for each ride based on the distance. In Dallas, rides will start at $17 and increase based on time and distance. There’s also a carpool option so families can share a ride with someone they know, which definitely adds more relief in terms of safety.
To touch on its dependability, HopSkipDrive has earned the trust of more than 170 school districts throughout the nation—including Keller Independent School District. In fact, Keller ISD has partnered with HopSkipDrive to help families out, along with a few other school districts in DFW.
RELATED: Rideshare Options for Kiddos
This article was originally published in October 2019.
Images courtesy of HopSkipDrive
