HopSkipDrive
Is This Your Business?0.0
HopSkipDrive started in California in 2016 and serves as a ride-hailing service specifically catered to providing kids with on-demand and scheduled rides from professional, vetted caregivers, called CareDrivers.
Both families and schools can take advantage of this safe, convenient ride service. Schedule a ride via the app or website for your kids up to eight hours in advance, or by 7 PM for morning rides. Last minute changes are ok.
Parents or guardians get real-time updates via the mobile app to know when the ride begins and ends, so that you know where your kids are, for added peace of mind. The company has rules for drivers and riders that include Be Safe, Be Smart, and Be Respectful.
You can even set up carpools for multiple riders with different guardians. While each guardian has to okay the carpool, this saves money and allows your kids to ride with friends that are approved by you.
Users can get an estimate of their ride through the HopSkipDrive website or app, and due to local markets, prices differ, just as they do with other rideshare or ride hailing services.
Top Ranked Companies
The Good
- Focus on Safety
- Qualified CareDrivers
- Specializes in Kids
Focus on Safety
HopSkipDrive uses several measures to keep kids safe while during rides. These include driver uniforms and decals, and confirmation of codewords when kids are picked up. The SafeRideSupport team additionally monitors each ride as it is happening, plus an in-app monitoring program for driving behaviors like speed and braking force, as well as phone behavior like talking or texting, which are not allowed.
Qualified CareDrivers
HopSkipDrive doesn’t use just any drivers. The company uses a 15-point inspection and every CareDrive has to have a minimum of five years of caregiving experience. Here are some other qualifications:
- 19-point vehicle inspection with a certified mechanic
- 5 years of caregiving experience
- Adopts the HopSkipRules
- Age 23+
- An in-person meeting with HSD
- Fingerprints and ongoing background checks
- Good driving record
- In-person orientation
- No criminal record: county, state, federal, everywhere the driver has lived for the last seven years, which is all that is allowed
- No sex offenders
- Personal auto insurance coverage
- Valid license
- Vehicles 10 years old or newer for 4-7 passengers
- Zero tolerance for illegal mobile usage with a passenger in the car
- Zero tolerance for smoking, drugs, alcohol while driving
After agreeing to and meeting all of these requirements, drivers can earn up to $32 per hour, plus bonuses.
Specializes in Kids
What about booster seats? Drivers have to be prepared before pickup, even down to the booster seats requested. Parents or guardians set up profiles for their children, down to the in-car needs like car seats or booster seats.
They can also add special pickup or drop-off instructions, if a child needs to be signed-out of school or daycare, etc.
The Bad
- Service Areas
Service Areas
This ride service is currently only operating in three limited service areas: Northern California, Southern California, and the Colorado-front range, which is the Denver area.
The Bottom Line
HopSkipDrive is ride-hailing, like Uber or Lyft, but specifically for transporting children under the age of 18. Uber and Lyft drivers aren’t allowed to pick up kids without an accompanying parent or adult. HopSkipDrive is a ride service just to fill this gap.
On the upside, we totally recommend this ride-sharing service for busy parents or families who need an Uber-type ride for their kids, whether to school or after-school activities, etc. On the downside, this is available in a limited number of regions currently. Hopefully, it will catch on in more regions around the country. Safe, reliable transportation just for kids is a powerful, unique niche for this company to claim.
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