Denver metro area parents’ lives are about to get a little easier with the launch of HopSkipDrive, Colorado’s first-ever ride service for kids. A new solution for busy Denver parents, HopSkipDrive is a safe and dependable ride service that helps parents get their kids where they need to go when they’re not able to do so themselves.
As the current go-to solution for busy parents in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area, HopSkipDrive is expanding services to Colorado—its first market outside of California. Founded by three working moms, HopSkipDrive offers safe, convenient and dependable rides for kids.
With real-time monitoring, the highest industry safety standards, and experienced caregivers (aka CareDrivers), parents can rest assured that their children will arrive safely at their destinations. Since launching three years ago, HopSkipDrive has delivered hundreds of thousands of rides.
“I was raised in Denver, and witnessed first-hand the challenges my family and others faced in trying to get their kids everywhere they needed to be,” said HopSkipDrive co-founder and CEO Joanna McFarland. “Denver has changed since I grew up here, and with the incredible innovations around school choice, many Denver families face daily challenges getting kids to and from their schools and after-school activities.”
McFarlan explained, “Other ridesharing services are not allowed to service any passengers under 18 by themselves, so I’m thrilled that we are expanding to my own hometown to help families here the way we’ve helped thousands of families in California. We built this company with our own children in mind, and as mothers we understand that today’s busy families need a dependable ride service to help them get kids where they need to be, with safety embedded into every aspect of the service. CareDrivers don’t just rush off to their next pickup, they follow customized instructions and adhere to the strictest safety standards in addition to good caregiver sense.”
“We are thrilled to see Joanna and the HopSkipDrive team plant a flag in Colorado and bring a much needed safe and secure transportation solution to that community. We believe that HopSkipDrive is the first to offer flexible rideshare transportation options for families outside of its initial core market,” stated Thomas Kominsky, chief growth officer of STI and head of the company’s non-asset businesses. “Our relationship with HSD is gaining some nice momentum. We can not only reduce the overhead burden, but we can utilize our deep local knowledge to help them build a B2B pipeline, and recruit and train drivers, really giving them a head start against all other competitors. We are excited to help them facilitate expansion to other parts of Colo. and elsewhere in the country, either on a stand-alone basis, or as a hybrid solution with STI, where we already have operations in places like the midwest, Texas, California, Pacific northwest, Toronto and the high-density areas in the northeast and along the east coast corridor.”
Denver families can now schedule rides for kids ages six and older online or through the HopSkipDrive app. Once the ride is matched to a CareDriver, parents receive a picture and bio to share with their rider(s). Parents receive notifications at pickup and dropoff, a personalized secret code word for their rider, live monitoring throughout their child’s ride, and a dedicated customer service team committed to getting kids to their destinations safely and on time. Rides start at $15, and carpool rides can be as low as $6 with multiple families. A fare estimator is accessible here.
“I have been desperate to figure out how I can do a job I love and get my kids to all of their things. Their background checks are more than I did for babysitters. HopSkipDrive is a lifesaver,” said Kristen H., HopSkipDrive user and mom to 11 year-old Olivia.
“HopSkipDrive is a game changer—from moms able to keep their jobs or re-enter the workforce, to kids who don’t have to give-up their favorite after-school activities or are now able to attend their school of choice on the other side of town—we look forward to becoming a trusted solution for Denver families and schools,” said McFarland. “Colorado is leading the charge in public education with open enrollment, and giving students the opportunity to attend the schools that best meets their needs. However, this can create challenges for working parents who may have to drop-off kids at multiple schools, while trying to get to work on time.”
HopSkipDrive has driven to almost 3,000 schools, and partners with hundreds of schools to create customized transportation solutions that include daily transport to and from school, as well as recurring transport to athletic events and extracurricular activities. These solutions help increase enrollment, while saving money that schools can funnel back into serving kids.
“Taxi-ing the kids around is a full-time job. I heard about HopSkipDrive a few months ago, signed up and I’ve been waiting for it every day. Our family plans to use this service all the time,” said Michael, a Denver dad.
Additional points:
- Colorado’s Public School of Choice law (aka Open Enrollment) allows students to enroll in a public school other than their assigned neighborhood school. For families, this gives them the flexibility to choose a public school environment where their child can thrive. For school administrators who need to maintain their Average Daily Attendance (ADA) numbers, they may need to consider and offer creative transportation alternatives for families.
- HopSkipDrive partners with school districts, public charter and independent schools to offer flexible transportation solutions for families, including school to home transportation, custom and dynamic daily routes, including door-to-door service for families that need it, inter-campus shuttles and off-campus activities such as field trips and athletic activities. To date, HopSkipDrive has conducted more than 325,000 trips to schools in California, and is currently working with public and independent Denver schools.
- HopSkipDrive’s flexible transportation solutions help schools reduce student travel time, increase enrollment (and therefore funding) and save money through decreased transportation cost per pupil.
