FAIRFAX, Va. — Life is about to get a little easier for busy Beltway area parents. HopSkipDrive, the innovator in youth transportation, is introducing its safety-first, tech-enabled ride share service that is built just for kids, with operations launching today. With its already becoming the go-to solution for overbooked parents in California and Colorado, HopSkipDrive is a safe, convenient, and dependable ride service that helps parents get kids where they need to go.
This launch is the first East Coast market for HopSkipDrive. Service starts today in Northern Virginia, then will expand to Washington, DC, and then throughout the region.
HopSkipDrive’s meticulous approach to safety begins with highly-vetted caregivers behind the wheel (“CareDrivers”) and extends to every aspect of the company’s operations, including real-time ride monitoring by a human Safe Ride Support team.
Nearly 1 in 2 parents say they risk their jobs to meet their children’s transportation needs. “In areas like the DC Metro region, where the District’s population increases 79 percent each day as workers commute in, it can be incredibly stressful, if not impossible, for parents to get their children to school and also get to work on time. It’s a key reason parents, and especially women, drop out of the workforce. And for kids, ‘school choice’ is just a broken promise if they don’t have a way to get there.” said Joanna McFarland, co-founder, CEO and mother of two. “We are thrilled to offer Washington Metro parents a safe and reliable alternative, so they don’t need to make these painful tradeoffs.”
Kristen H., a HopSkipDrive user, and mom to 11-year old Olivia, is one of those parents. “I have been desperate to figure out how I can do a job I love and get my kids to all of their things,” said Kristen. “Their background checks are more than I did for babysitters. HopSkipDrive is a lifesaver.”
In addition to hundreds of thousands of families, HopSkipDrive has earned the trust of more than 150 schools and school districts nationwide as a solution to simplify specialized transportation. “Our mission is to remove mobility-related barriers so kids can thrive at school,” said McFarland, “while giving schools and districts logistical flexibility, visibility and relief.”
Safety Comes First
HopSkipDrive combines sophisticated technology with deep operational expertise to ensure ride safety. Parents can book rides from start to finish through the HopSkipDrive mobile app, while HopSkipDrive’s Safe Ride Support team monitors every ride in real-time. Every CareDriver has at least five years of caregiving experience and has passed a 15-point certification process. That process includes fingerprinting, background checks against criminal and sex offender databases, and driving record checks through the DMV.
“The trust parents place in us when they use HopSkipDrive motivates us all. Safety will always permeate everything we do from people to process to technology,” said McFarland.
How it Works
Rides may be reserved as little as eight hours in advance or by 7 p.m. the night before for morning rides. HopSkipDrive matches that request to a CareDriver, and sends parents a picture and CareDriver profile to share with their children before the ride. Parents can also communicate special instructions to CareDrivers, and receive progress alerts at pickup and drop-off.
School districts use HopSkipDrive to provide transportation solutions for kids who are not easily transported on a school bus. A simple dashboard allows administrators to book, edit and monitor rides. Schools can save up to 60 percent on transportation costs with HopSkipDrive, shorten student commute times and improve educational outcomes.
Beltway Rollout
In establishing an east coast presence, HopSkipDrive looked to where parent needs and school needs were most pronounced and addressable. “We felt the DMV region rose to the top,” said McFarland.
HopSkipDrive’s Beltway rollout begins in Northern Virginia, where the company is already serving families in Alexandria County, Arlington County and Fairfax County. The company will launch the District of Columbia operations within the next few weeks and plans to launch in Maryland later this year.
Interested families are encouraged to visit online and download the HopSkipDrive app to check service availability in their area. Interested schools should email: partnerships@hopskipdrive.com.
About HopSkipDrive
Designed by protective moms, driven by caregivers, and trusted by schools coast-to-coast, HopSkipDrive is the innovator in providing safe, dependable youth transportation for schools and families. HopSkipDrive’s advanced technology platform and industry-leading operations expertise gives flexibility and visibility to schools, saves parents time and stress, and helps kids reach their full potential.
Since 2014, HopSkipDrive and its network of trusted and vetted CareDrivers have saved busy families 34 years of drive time, partnered with more than 150 schools and districts, driven more than 625,000 kids to over 6,000 schools, and helped thousands of homeless students and youth in foster care attend their schools of origin. www.hopskipdrive.com
