New Rideshare Company Provides Transportation for Children

A new rideshare service is hoping to gain parents’ trust in order to provide their kids transportation to and from school. The app HopSkipDrive became available to residents in San Diego County on Monday and offers users school pick-up, drop-off or extracurricular rides for their children and teens. Through HopSkipDrive, families are matched with a driver. The company says each driver has completed a 15-point certification process, fingerprinting and background checks. "We meet every single care driver in person because again, we’re always thinking about what’s safe enough for our kids and we want to make sure that extends to all of the care drivers on our platform," co-founder Joanna McFarland said. Parents can track each ride through the app and every trip is monitored in real time, HopSkipDrive says. "We have a password thatIi must give to them for them to get into the ride with us," rideshare driver Sharon Kiesel said. AnnaMarie Bezzerides uses the service for her children. "You really have a sense that it’s the side of a babysitter, child care provider picking up your kids and that’s exactly what I was looking for," Bezzerides said. HopSkipDrive is offering first-time users up to $20 dollars free with promo code "SD Ride."