HopSkipDrive: Mom-Created Ride Service Safely Gets Kids Where They Need to Go When Parents Can't

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - May 18, 2015) - Parents, say goodbye to unreliable carpools, having to constantly ask for ride "favors," and the stress of sneaking out of work to take your kid to karate class. Thanks to HopSkipDrive, the first ride service for kids in the Greater Los Angeles-area, families now have a safe, reliable solution to the "kid commuting" dilemma.

Created by three professional women who understand the struggle of getting kids everywhere they need to be, HopSkipDrive is a safe, convenient and reliable solution that makes scheduling rides with experienced caregivers (aka CareDrivers) easy. The company offers the highest industry safety standards, the most experienced CareDrivers in the business, and unique tracking capabilities so parents can rest assured that their children will arrive safely at their destinations.

"We built this company with our own children in mind. In fact, our kids actually use HopSkipDrive. As mothers, we get it. We understand that today's busy parents need a dependable ride service to help them get their kids where they need to be, with safety embedded in everything we do," explained Joanna McFarland, HopSkipDrive co-founder and chief executive officer. "We hear time and again from families saying HopSkipDrive has been a game changer and completely removed a huge stress from their lives. From moms able to keep their jobs, to kids who don't have to give up their favorite afterschool activities, to our stay-at-home mom CareDrivers looking for flexible work options with competitive compensation -- including the flexibility to even bring their own kids to work -- HopSkipDrive has been a lifeline for so many people in our community."

"We pride ourselves on the fact that all of our CareDrivers go above and beyond for our customers. From arriving early to park and walk in to greet your child, to school sign-outs, to waiting with your child until we're sure they're in good hands, all of our CareDrivers follow the strictest of safety standards -- in addition to good caregiver sense," continued McFarland. "We do more than most people do when screening their nannies. In fact, HopSkipDrive is a great cost-savings alternative for families transitioning from full-time nanny care and day care to situations where they really just need someone they trust to get their kids safely where they need to go." 

HopSkipDrive is currently available in the greater Los Angeles area with expansion plans slated for later this year. The cost ranges from $12 to 20 per ride (varies based on different pricing packages) for rides within 5 miles and 30 minutes. Beyond that, it's an easy add-on of $1 per mile and 50 cents per minute.

Raising The Safety Bar Even Higher with Trustline
HopSkipDrive is made up of a team of CareDrivers who have a minimum of five years childcare experience and a clean driving record with no points, the only rideshare company with this standard. CareDrivers are seasoned parents and nannies, school teachers, pediatric nurses and more. They are recruited, screened and held to the most stringent safety standards, including a highly selective 15-point certification process that involves vehicle safety inspections by a licensed mechanic, monthly DMV checks, two reference checks (not simply employment checks), driver training and meeting each CareDriver in person.

While the company already had the highest safety standards in the rideshare industry, HopSkipDrive is announcing they are the first and only such service where every single CareDriver will be registered with TrustLine. The gold standard database of nannies and baby-sitters, TrustLine is the only authorized screening program of in-home caregivers in California that checks fingerprint records at the California Department of Justice and the FBI. TrustLine is endorsed by the California Academy of Pediatrics and the California Department of Social Services.

"Every step of the way, we've thought about what would make us, as moms, feel more comfortable using this service. TrustLine offers the added peace of mind that we would want for our own kids," said McFarland. While TrustLine screens within California, as an additional safety measure, HopSkipDrive goes beyond the borders of California, running county criminal searches anywhere outside of California that a CareDriver has lived in the last seven years, the legal time limitation. Not being satisfied with a simple database search, HopSkipDrive's background searches include physical visits to county courthouses to pull and check records.

To book your ride today, visit www.HopSkipDrive.com.

About HopSkipDrive
HopSkipDrive is a ride service for kids founded in 2014 as a safe, reliable solution for families juggling today's busy schedules. It was created by three professional women who, as busy, safety-obsessed moms themselves, understand the struggle of getting kids to all their activities. HopSkipDrive is comprised of a team of CareDrivers carefully hand-picked via the most selective screening process in the industry, including a stringent 15-point certification process that includes vehicle safety inspections by a licensed mechanic, monthly DMV checks, extensive reference checks, driver training and meeting each CareDriver in person. HopSkipDrive is the first and only rideshare service where every CareDriver will be fingerprinted and registered on TrustLine - the gold standard background check for California nannies and babysitters.

To learn more, visit www.HopSkipDrive.com

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